185.86 
G8761 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


rsSJZXtXHSWJ***^ 


LIFE'S  DEMANDS 


OR 


According  to  Law 

By    SUTTON    E.  GRIGGS 


Life's  Demands 


•OR- 


According   to   Law 


BY 


SUTTON    E.    GRIGGS 

Author  of  Wisdom's  Call,  etc. 


Issued  by  the 

National  Public  Welfare  League 

Memphis,  Tenn. 


Copyrighted  by 

BUTTON  E.  GRIGG3 

Memphis,  Tenn. 

1916 


G 
CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction  ..................................   5 


^   The  Laws  of  Individual  Success  ..................   9 

ii. 

<=>i 

The  Laws  of  Racial  Success  ......................  29 

C*T- 

III. 

The  Laws  of  Race  Adjustment  ...................  62 

IV. 

The  Law  of  the  Development  of  the  Spirit  of 

Patriotism  .................................  94 

V. 

The  Law  of  the  Making  of  Great  Men  .............  99 

VI. 
The  Law  of  Universal  Struggle  .................  110 

VII. 

The  Parting  Word—  The  Social  Specific  .........  119 


Life's  Demands;  or 
According  to  Law 

Introduction. 

The  architect  of  the  universe,  God,  the  cre- 
ator, took  infinite  pains  to  establish  everywhere 
in  the  realm  of  matter  the  reign  of  law,  and 
whatever  exists  in  that  realm  bows  its  head  to 
the  law  of  tts  existence.  How  universal  is  this 
reign  of  law  in  the  physical  world  is  indicated 
by  the  fact  that  there  are  definite  rules  differ- 
ent in  character  governing  such  varied  objects 
as  a  grain  of  sand,  a  drop  of  water,  an  humble 
herb,  a  giant  oak,  the  sun,  and  the  most  distant 
star. 

As  in  the  realm  of  matter,  likewise  in  the 
realm  of  mind  do  we  find  the  reign  of  law.  The 
first  man  that  ever  reasoned  correctly  and 
wrote  out  his  reasoning,  will  find  his  conclu- 
sions carrying  weight  with  the  very  last  man 
with  a  normal  mind  that  shall  ever  live  and 
read  what  he  wrote;  for  there  is  one  set  of 
laws  governing  all  human  thought,  for  all  races 
of  mankind,  and  for  all  ages.  Not  all  the  laws 


6  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

of  the  human  mind  are  fully  understood,  but 
they  exist  nevertheless. 

Man,  by  creation,  is  a  social  being,  his  nature 
demanding  association  with  his  fellowman. 
Knowing  that  the  fabric  of  human  society  was 
sure  to  rise,  it  would  have  been  strange  in- 
deed, if  the  law-loving  architect  of  the  universe 
who  took  such  infinite  pains  to  establish  laws 
in  the  realm  of  matter  and  of  mind,  who  al- 
lowed nothing  whatever  in  those  fields,  how- 
ever small,  however  remote,  or  however  ob- 
scure, to  escape  his  regulating  hand,  had  sud- 
denly changed  his  nature  to  such  an  extent 
that  he  would  leave  the  crowning  work  of 
creation,  human  society — the  social  fabric, 
without  a  law  of  existence,  and  therefore 
without  chart,  or  compass,  or  rudder.  Nor 
has  He  done  this.  Like  the  other  depart- 
ments of  the  universe,  human  society  is  subject 
to  the  operation  of  laws.  The  individual  who 
rises  in  the  esteem  of  others  does  so  according 
to  law.  His  rise  is  not  of  a  haphazard  nature. 
There  were  certain  things  that  caused  him  to 
rise,  if  he  arose,  and  without  them  he  would 
have  arisen  never.  What  is  true  of  the  indi- 
vidual is  likewise  true  of  human  society.  The 
path  of  true  success  for  bodies  of  men  has  been 
carved  out  with  as  much  precision  by  nature, 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 


and  nature's  God,  as  has  been  the  pathway  of 
the  earth  around  the  sun. 

As  the  Negroes  of  the  present  day  look 
abroad  in  the  earth  and  compare  the  condition 
of  their  race  as  seen  almost  everywhere,  with 
that  of  the  advanced  races  of  this  period,  they 
are  compelled  to  note  the  existence  of  a  wide 
gulf  separating  their  unfortunate  position  from 
the  exalted  station  occupied  by  the  highly  suc- 
cessful races.  Other  races  are  seen  standing 
upon  the  mountain  top  of  success,  reaching  for 
higher  worlds,  while  the  Negro  race  is  partly 
in  the  valley  of  deepest  trouble,  and  partly 
plodding  its  way  wearily  amid  the  bushes, 
briars,  and  jagged  stones  of  steep  mountain 
sides,  casting  upward  many  an  anxious  enquir- 
ing look,  searching  for  the  path,  the  traveling 
of  which  will  bring  it  to  the  desired  heights. 

This  condition  of  affairs,  so  grievous  to  the 
Negro's  heart,  is  not  the  result  of  an  accident. 
It  has  come  to  pass  because  there  are  certain 
definite  laws  of  social  growth  which  the  God 
of  the  universe  has  laid  down,  which  have  not 
been  obeyed,  and  without  obedience  to  which, 
social  success  will  never  come,  despite  all  the 
yearnings  of  ambitious  hearts.  Laws  are 
stern.  They  are  unyielding.  The  penalty  for 
the  violation  of  the  laws  of  the  universe  is  de- 


8  Lt/e'«  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

struction,  no  less  for  the  social  body  than  for 
the  physical  body. 

These  laws  of  God  framed  for  human  society 
never  cease  to  operate.  If  groups  of  men  obey 
them  and  rise  as  a  social  group,  their  success 
lasts  no  longer  than  they  adhere  to  these  laws. 
If,  for  a  period,  they  observe  these  laws,  and 
rise,  yet  their  success  turns  to  failure  and  they 
fall  when  they  forget,  ignore  or  depart  from 
them. 

If  men  would  acquire  and  retain  success  as 
individuals  or  as  groups  they  must  make  it  up 
in  their  minds  to  bring  themselves  into  sub- 
jection to  the  laws  of  God.  Failure  to  conform 
to  the  laws  of  enduring  success,  whether  born 
of  ignorance,  weakness  of  will,  or  choice  of 
other  ways,  means,  and  can  only  mean,  abiding 
in  the  dust  of  defeat  and  dishonor.  If  there  is 
not  a  resolute  purpose  to  fulfil  the  laws  of  suc- 
cess, to  obey  the  demands  of  social  growth,  then 
cease  the  whine  and  put  out  the  light  of  hope. 

Enduring  success,  whether  individual  or  so- 
cial, is  forever,  and  without  variation,  "  Accord- 
ing to  Law," 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 


The  Laws  of  Individual  Success 


No  man  anywhere  in  any  age  of  the  world's 
history  has  been  able  to  attain  large  results 
and  rise  in  the  scale  of  life  without  the  aid  of 
some  other  man  or  men.  Sacred  and  profane 
history  abound  in  illustrations  of  this  fact. 
Joseph  rose  to  eminence  in  Egypt  through  the 
aid  of  a  liberated  companion  of  his  days  in  jail. 
Great  in  head  and  heart,  yet  he  needed  some 
one  to  make  this  fact  known  where  it  would  do 
good.  Moses  had  the.help  of  Aaron,  and  Elijah 
that  of  Elisha. 

Napoleon  Bonaparte,  a  man  of  wonder- 
ful intellectual  power,  began  his  sudden  up- 
ward journey  through  the  aid  of  Josephine, 
whose  influence  secured  for  him  the  assignment 
that  gave  him  the  opportunity  to  draw  men's 
minds  toward  him  by  the  character  of  his 
achievements.  A  factor  in  his  final  loss  of 
power  was  his  failure  to  get  expected  help  from 
one  of  his  generals  upon  the  occasion  of  the 
battle  of  Waterloo. 

We  have  in  the  careers  of  the  late  President 
of  the  United  States,  Win.  McKinley,  and  the 


10  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

late  United  States  Senator  M.  A.  Hanna,  a  no- 
table example  of  the  surpassing  value  of  co- 
operation. Mr.  McKinley  was  a  very  popular 
man,  but  was  not  rich.  He  desired  the  Bepub- 
lican  party's  nomination  for  the  presidency  of 
the  United  States,  but  he  did  not  have  suffi^ 
cient  money  with  which  to  perfect  a  strong  or- 
ganization and  to  conduct  a  vigorous  and  ex- 
tensive campaign,  and  there  was  danger  that 
his  popularity  might  avail  him  nothing.  Mr. 
Hanna  was  comparatively  unknown,  and  was 
wholly  lacking  in  popularity.  He  had  never 
been  chosen  by  the  people  to  fill  any  office. 
But  Mr.  Hanna  was  very  rich.  He  took  his 
money  and  linked  it  to  Mr.  McKinley 's  popu- 
larity, and  this  secured  for  Mr.  McKinley  the 
desired  nomination,  and  subsequent  election  to 
the  presidency  of  the  United  States.  The  pres- 
tige and  the  power  which  came  to  Mr.  McKin- 
ley after  he  became  President  enabled  him  to 
influence  the  legislature  of  the  State  of  Ohio 
to  send  Mr.  Hanna  to  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate. These  men,  the  one  in  the  President's 
seat  and  the  other  in  the  United  States  Senate, 
for  a  number  of  years,  exercised  a  dominating 
influence  in  the  affairs  of  the  nation.  All  of 
this  was  made  possible  because  of  co-operation. 
Mr.  McKinley,  left  alone,  perhaps  would  never 
have  attained  the  presidency;  and  Mr.  Hanna, 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  11 

without  the  aid  of  Mr.  McKinley's  influence, 
would  perhaps  have  remained  to  the  end  of  his 
days  a  private  citizen. 

In  order  that  we  may  the  more  fully  em- 
phasize the  value  of  co-operation  we  wish  now 
to  cite  the  case  of  three  helpless  individuals, 
who  by  combining  were  able  to  sustain  them- 
selves. One  was  a  boy,  too  small  and  too 
young  to  be  able  to  take  care  of  himself;  one 
was  blind,  and  one  was  so  lame  that  he  could 
not  walk.  These  individuals  were  forced  to 
beg  for  a  livelihood.  The  boy  did  not  have 
sufficient  judgment  to  conduct  a  campaign  of 
begging.  The  blind  man  could  not  see  how  to 
reach  the  people  from  whom  he  desired  to  so- 
licit help.  The  lame  man  could  not  get  to  the 
people  that  would  be  inclined  to  help  him.  The 
three  formed  a  combination.  The  lame  man 
got  into  a  chair  that  had  wheels,  the  blind  man 
pushed  the  chair,  and  the  little  boy  walked 
along  guiding  the  procession.  The  lame  man 
had  the  judgment  that  the  little  boy  did  not 
have,  and  could  select  groups  of  people  that 
were  able  and  inclined  to  help.  He  had  the 
sight  which  his  blind  partner  did  not  have.  The 
blind  man  had  the  strength  to  poish,  which  the 
boy  did  not  have,  and  the  power  to  go  forward 
that  the  lame  man  did  not  have.  The  boy  had 
the  ability  to  pass  from  person  to  person  the  cup 


12  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

for  donations,  a  thing  which  neither  the  lame 
nor  the  blind  man  could  do.  Here  we  have  an 
example  of  the  formation  out  of  three  deficient 
creatures,  by  means  of  co-operation,  of  an  effi- 
cient force  able  to  maintain  a  place  in  life. 

The  man  that  cannot  inspire  someone  to  help 
him,  that  cannot  grir>  somebody  by  his  quali- 
ties, cannot  rise.  And  success  will  come  in 
proportion  to  the  number  and  kind  of  people 
a  man  can  inspire  to  lend  him  their  aid.  Suc- 
cess, then,  in  a  sense,  may  be  termed  the  art  of 
winning  and  holding  co-operation.  Each  indi- 
vidual therefore  should  seek  co-operation  in 
one  form  or  another  in  whatever  he  under- 
takes, and  should  live  such  a  life  and  be  ac- 
tuated by  such  motives  as  will  bring  co-opera- 
tion instantly  to  his  side. 

The  successful  school  teacher  must  be  able 
to  win  and  hold  the  affections  of  his  pupils; 
the  successful  merchant,  those  of  his  patrons; 
the  successful  statesman,  those  of  his  consti- 
tuents. A  survey  of  life  in  general  will  reveal 
the  fact  that  winning  and  holding  co-operation 
is  the  great  essential.  The  acceptance  of  this 
view  reduces  our  discussion  to  the  unfolding 
of  the  qualities  needed  to  beget  the  co-operation 
so  necessary  for  success  in  life. 
Self-Reliance. 

We  place  at  the  bottom  of  the  foundation 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Lav). 13 

which  we  are  about  to  lay,  self  reliance.  Men 
are  willing  to  help  a  man  who  is  seen  trying 
bravely  to  help  himself.  While  a  man  is  to 
hope  and  look  for  co-operation,  and  should 
realize  that  his  life  will  fall  far  short  of  its 
possibilities  without  it,  still  let  him  bear  in 
mind  that  he  will  sooner  get  that  co-operation 
by  showing  that  he  is  relying  upon  himself  for 
the  accomplishment  of  the  main  portion  of  his 
chosen  life's  work. 

Truthfulness. 

There  is  implanted  in  every  bosom  an  in- 
stinctive love  of  the  truth.  A  tendency  toward 
falsehood  is  not  nature's  original  creation,  but 
a  perversion  thereof. 

An  untruthful  man  can,  through  other  quali- 
ties, attain  a  certain  measure  of  success,  but 
as  he  seeks  to  enter  the  larger  spheres  of  life 
he  will  find  the  great  men  there  opposing  his 
progress  and  beating  him  back  because  of  their 
contempt  for  him  as  one  who  will  not  respect 
the  truth.  Moreover,  whatever  success  is  his 
on  a  small  scale,  is  likely  at  any  time  to  crum- 
ble, as  men  will  fall  away  from  him  as  his  true 
nature  more  and  more  reveals  itself. 

Shrewdness  cannot  take  the  place  of  truth 
fulness,  for  a  falsehood,  however  cunningly  de- 
vised, has  in  it  a  fatal  weakness  which  is  likely 
to  be  revealed  at  any  time,  and  in  an  unex- 


14  Life's  Demand*;  of,  According  to  Law. 

pected  manner.  Moreover,  it  is  exceedingly 
difficult  to  remember  a  lie,  and  in  the  process 
of  time  the  liar  will  contradict  himself.  He. 
then,  who  would  have  the  respect,  the  perma- 
nent and  unlimited  support  of  his  fellows,  must 
be  truthful. 

Respect  for  the  Possessions  of  Others. 

Men  everywhere  gather  about  themselves 
that  which  they  call  their  own,  and  to  which 
they  attach  a  value.  A  man  who  fails  to  recog- 
nize the  rights  of  ownership  on  the  part  of  his 
fellows,  and  seeks  to  appropriate  to  himself 
that  which  belongs  to  them,  is  regarded  as  a 
dangerous  character,  and  men  draw  back  from 
him.  With  reference  to  the  possessions  of 
other  men,  one  should  be  strictly  honest  in 
every  way,  whether  watched  or  unwatched, 
whether  it  is  easy  or  hard  to  escape  detection. 
A  thief  is  shunned  as  a  dangerous  character. 
When  found  out  men  will  not  extend  him  co- 
operation. 

Reliability. 

A  very  desirable  quality  is  reliability.  Men 
like  to  feel  that  they  can  rest  securely  upon 
what  a  man  says  he  is  going  to  do.  The  failure 
of  a  man  to  perform  as  he  promises  often  up- 
sets the  affairs  of  many  others.  An  uncertain 
man  is  tolerated  only  so  long  as  a  man  more 
certain  cannot  be  found.  If  a  man  would  sue- 


Life's  Fernanda;  of,  According  to  Law.  15 

ceed  in  life,  let  him  be  reliable.  Let  him  weigh 
his  words  carefully,  consider  all  of  the  circum- 
stances likely  to  arise,  and  when  a  promise  is 
made,  keep  it  at  all  hazards. 

An  uncertain  man,  a  man  upon  whose  word 
you  cannot  depend  as  to  the  keeping  of  a  pledge 
or  an  appointment,  is  a  double  abomination. 
First,  there  is  a  contempt  for  him  because  of 
his  untruthfulness ;  next,  there  is  a  feeling  of 
vexation  because  of  his  carelessness  as  to  the 
amount  of  time  and  trouble  he  may  put  others 
to.  Thus  an  unreliable  man  goes  about  a  com- 
munity with  a  double  load  of  the  contempt  of 
his  fellows.  Men  should  be  reliable,  should  put 
forth  every  possible  effort  to  carry  out  their 
word. 

Thoroughness. 

A  man  who  lacks  thoroughness  in  his  work 
cannot  secure  the  warm  endorsement  of  his 
fellowmen.  It  is  a  source  of  irritation  to  an 
employer  to  find  a  task  poorly  done.  Men  have 
a  feeling  of  being  cheated  when  they  have  to 
pay  out  their  money  for  work  that  is  lacking 
in  thoroughness. 

The  thorough  man  has  every  advantage  of 
the  man  who  is  not  thorough,  and  is  likely  to 
displace  him  at  any  time.  A  man  who  is  not 
thorough  is  never  secure  in  his  position,  nor 
need  he  entertain  great  hopes  of  rising.  Lack 


16  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

of  thoroughness  will  cause  men  to  try  to  push 
him  back  rather  than  forward. 

The  point  of  beginning  of  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  careers  known  to  history,  that  of 
the  late  Prof.  Booker  T.  Washington,  may  bo 
said  to  be  where,  at  a  critical  moment,  he  mani- 
fested thoroughness  as  a  trait  of  his  charac- 
ter. Having  as  a  youth  heard  of  Hampton  In- 
stitute, he  desired  to  enter  the  school  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  life's  work.  He  was  father- 
less, homeless,  penniless  and  friendless.  If  he 
was  to  be  educated,  and  thus  started  upon  his 
notable  career,  he  stood  in  need  of  co-operation. 
A  teacher  in  Hampton  Institute  as  a  sort  of  test 
assigned  him  the  task  of  cleaning  a  room. 
This  he  did  with  the  utmost  thoroughness,  go- 
ing over  his  task  again  and  again.  This  mani- 
festation of  the  trait  of  thoroughness  won  the 
co-operation  of  the  teacher,  who  made  a  place 
for  him  in  the  school,  and  thereby  started  him 
upon  the  road  toward  international  fame. 

Promptness. 

Lack  of  regard  for  time  is  a  great  evil,  and  op- 
erates against  the  interests  of  any  man  thua 
guilty.  Men  of  power  usually  are  concerned  in 
many  affairs,  and  can  only  properly  attend  to 
them  by  having  a  strict  regard  for  time.  A  man 
who  has  no  regard  for  time  is  therefore  unfit 
to  deal  with  the  men  who  do  the  large  things 


Life*a  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  17 

of  life.  The  strong  men  of  the  world,  the  "on 
time"  men,  will  be  found  opposing  ever  the 
rise  of  a  man  who  has  no  regard  for  time.  It 
is  well  to  be  on  time  to  every  engagement, 
whether  of  a  private  or  public  character. 

v  Politeness. 

Politeness  is  an  invitation  to  people  to  draw 
near  and  have  more  to  do  with  one,  whereas, 
gruffness  is  a  warning  for  people  to  stand 
their  distance.  The  polite  person  therefore 
wins  friends  and  co-operation,  whereas  the 
gruff  man  repels  men  and  begets  opposition. 
Politeness,  then,  is  a  needed  quality. 

Cheerfulness. 

He  who  has  a  cheerful  disposition  has  that 
which  causes  his  company  to  be  agreeable.  A 
man  lacking  in  cheerfulness  is  sought  only 
when  badly  needed.  Whatever  your  burdens, 
whatever  your  difficulties  or  disappointments, 
keep  a  cheerful  spirit  and  it  will  in  the  end 
draw  to  you  those  who  can  help  you. 
Control  of  the  Appetites. 

Nature  has  endowed  men  with  appetites  that 
are  needed  for  nature's  purposes.  Unwise 
men  feed  these  appetites  for  the  animal 
pleasure  found  therein,  regardless  of  the  higher 
purposes  of  nature.  The  appetites  grow 
stronger  and  stronger  as  they  are  fed,  and 


18  Life't  Demand*;  or,  According  to  Lav). 

finally  become  the  masters  of  those  to  whom 
they  were  given  to  serve.  Blind  and  unreason- 
ing, they  trample  under  foot  all  of  the  nobler 
things  of  life,  and  work  toward  the  ruin  of  the 
minds  and  bodies  of  those  that  indulge  them. 

Men  who  cannot  control  their  appetites  are 
unworthy  of  trust.  They  are  watched  sus- 
piciously, and  the  world  is  on  the  alert  to  cir- 
cumvent them,  rather  than  to  advance  their  in- 
terests. 

Control  of  the  Temper. 

Anger  is  a  sort  of  mental  magnifying  glass. 
It  makes  things  larger  than  what  they  are  in 
reality  and  this  provokes  men  to  do  things  that 
are  wholly  unwarranted  in  vie*r  of  the  real 
facts  involved.  Anger  leads  to  extremes  of 
language  as  well  as  of  action  and  in  this  way 
loses  friends.  The  man  who  gives  way  to 
anger  is  an  unsafe  leader,  in  that  under  the 
influence  of  anger  he  is  liable  to  take  steps  that 
men  in  their  cool  moments  cannot  follow. 
Moreover  giving  way  to  anger  establishes  a 
reputation  for  a  man  of  being  dangerous,  a  fact 
that  will  prevent  him  from  having  the  co-opera- 
tion of  his  fellows  to  an  unlimited  degree. 

A  man  should  be  careful  not  to  act  upon  the 
inpulse  of  anger.  He  should  adopt  a  set  of 
principles  for  every  emergency  in  life  while 
cool,  and  in  the  time  of  anger  he  should  be 


Life't  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  19 

careful  to  act  in  accord  therewith,  remember- 
ing that  angry  impulses  are  not  gods  to  be 
obeyed,  but  beasts  to  be  conquered  because  of 
their  great  power  to  drive  away  co-operation. 

Humility. 

Why  should  mortal  man  be  proud?  TV 
richest  man  in  the  world  possesses  but  a  penny 
when  what  he  owns  is  put  into  comparison  with 
what  he  does  not  own.  The  most  learned  of 
men  seems  to  be  but  a  babe  in  knowledge  when 
what  he  knows  is  put  into  comparison  with 
what  he  does  not  know.  There  are  more  peo- 
ple who  do  not  know  the  most  popular  man  in 
the  world  than  there  are  that  do  know  him. 
Since  in  riches,  knowledge  and  fame  every  man 
is  overshadowed  by  that  which  is  beyond  his 
realm  there  is  no  just  ground  for  pride  in  the 
heart  of  man.  The  people  of  the  world  know 
that  no  man  is  entitled  to  the  feeling  of  pride 
and  men  instinctively  draw  back  from  the 
proud  man;  and  by  withholding  co-operation 
they  limit  his  sphere  of  usefulness.  The  great 
men  of  the  world  have  been  meek  men.  He 
who  is  humble  keeps  open  the  avenues  of  ap- 
proach so  that  the  people  as  a  whole  can  draw 
near  to  him  and  add  their  strength  to  his.  If 
the  truly  great  are  meek,  how  much  less  ground 
have  others  for  being  proud?  While  a  man 
should  ever  maintain  self-respect  and  rise 


20  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

above  whatever  is  debasing,  yet  it  will  be  a 
great  addition  to  carry  along  with  his  strong 
feeling  of  self-respect,  a  feeling  of  humility,  a 
knowledge  of  the  fact  that  he  is,  after  all,  a 
mere  mortal  with  an  allotted  time  on  eartn  and 
with  the  dissolution  of  his  body  awaiting  him 
iii  the  uncertain  future.  This  feeling  of  hu- 
mility mil  bring  co-operation. 

Industry. 

The  disposition  to  apply  one's  self  procures 
co-operation,  the  basis  of  all  success  on  a  large 
scale,  in  a  two-fold  way.  Industry  la  what  13 
needed  in  every  walk  of  life,  and  the  man  who 
possesses  the  quality  attracts  people  to  him. 
Men  of  consequence  themselves  are  industrious, 
and  like  their  kind  and  their  kind  only.  In  ad- 
dition to  attracting  strength  of  itself,  industry 
brings  financial  resources  which  can  also  De 
used  to  invite  co-operation.  The  man  who  has 
money  can  get  help,  and  the  man  who  is  indus- 
trious can  get  money. 

Persistence. 

Success  in  life  is  not  easily  won.  Defeat 
after  defeat,  disappointment  after  disappoint- 
ment, is  likely  to  overtake  anyone  in  pursuit 
of  success.  Whoever  does  not  know  how  to 
ignore  defeat  and  rise  above  disaster  will  hard- 
ly succeed,  for  the  world  hesitates  to  reward 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Laio.  21 

such  a  character.  But  every  one  admires  per- 
sistence, and  when  directed  in  the  right  way 
it  is  sure  to  bring  to  one's  side  those  who  can 
help  greatly  in  the  battle  of  life. 

When  the  late  Prof.  Booker  T.  Washington 
was  trying  to  begin  the  making  of  brick  in  con- 
nection with  his  work  at  Tuskegee,  he  made 
several  failures.  At  length  his  funds  were  ex- 
hausted and  that  which  he  desired  to  accom- 
plish was  yet  unattained.  But  he  was  persis- 
tent. Having  no  other  way  of  raising  the  neces- 
sary money  for  carrying  on  the  experiment,  he 
pawned  his  watch  and  thus  secured  the  needed 
funds.  His  next  attempt  was  successful,  and 
it  was  thus  that  the  great  brick  making  depart- 
ment of  Tuskegee  Institute  became  a  monu- 
ment testifying  to  the  value  of  the  trait  of  per- 
sistence. It  is  to  be  noted  that  it  was  Mr. 
Washington's  trait  of  persistence  that  enabled 
him  to  develop  brick  making  at  the  school  to 
the  point  where  it  attracted  the  co-operation  of 
men  with  large  sums  of  money,  thus  exempli- 
fying the  fact  that  persistence  wins  co-opera- 
tion. 

Habit  of  Saving. 

There  is  to  every  life  a  sure  period  of  de 
cline,  a  time  when  one's  productive  powers  fail. 
During  the  period  of  strength  there  should  be 
a  careful  preparation  for  the  on  coming  period 


22  Life'»  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

of  decline.    This  should  be  done  through  sys- 
tematic saving. 

Disease  also  makes  its  appearance  at  some 
time  in  almost  every  home  and  every  life.  The 
habit  of  saving  will  prepare  for  this  unfortu- 
nate period. 

The  possession  of  some  of  this  world's  goods 
is  an  evidence  of  industry,  foresight  and  self 
control,   and  makes  a  direct  and  irresistible 
appeal  for  the  respect  of  men. 

Economy. 

A  practice  that  should  go  hand  in  hand  with 
that  of  systematically  laying  by  a  portion  of 
one's  earnings  is  that  of  economy.  The  man 
who  economizes,  who  does  not  make  extrava- 
gant purchases,  who  does  not  buy  useless 
things,  will  have  all  the  more  to  save. 

Modesty  in  dress,  the  eating  of  wholesome 
yet  simple  meals,  and  the  avoidance  of  need- 
less pleasure  jaunts  are  necessary  to  a  life  of 
economy.  Men  respect  a  spirit  of  self-denial, 
and  will  go  to  the  aid  of  those  who  practice  it. 

Proper  Behavior  Toward  the  Other  Sex. 

The  greatest  form  of  co-operation  that  can 
come  to  a  man  in  the  course  of  a  whole  lifetime 
is  that  that  comes  from  some  good  woman.  She 
can  aid  a  man  by  means  of  her  power  to  in- 
spire, by  her  intuition  that  enables  her  to  grasp 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 


clearly  a  situation  that  man's  reasoning  powers 
fail  to  grasp,  by  her  sharpened  sense  of  dan- 
ger, and  by  the  sustaining  fortitude  which  she 
exhibits  in  the  almost  inevitable  hours  of  dark- 
ness that  at  some  time  overtake  almost  every 
life.  The  right  kind  of  woman  will  rear  the 
right  kind  of  children,  who  in  turn  will  co-oper- 
ate with  the  father  to  crown  his  life  with  suc- 
cess. 

A  proper  attitude  on  the  part  of  a  man 
toward  the  female  sex  will  go  far  toward  bring- 
ing to  his  side  the  helpmeet  that  will  give  him 
the  most  valuable  form  of  co-operation  that  he 
can  secure.  On  the  other  hand,  the  young 
woman  who  is  circumspect  in  her  conduct 
toward  men  has  the  best  chance  of  drawing  to 
herself  the  devotion  of  the  man  of  mental 
strength  and  moral  character  that  will  aid  in 
securing  for  her  a  place  in  life  to  be  coveted. 
Through  virtuous  conduct  she  will  win  co-opera- 
tion. 

Sacred  Care  of  the  Human  Body. 

The  soul  of  a  man  is  the  man.  The  body  is 
but  the  instrument  by  means  of  which  the  soul 
gives  expression  to  itself.  He  who  mistreats 
the  body  is  doing  a  real  injury  to  the  soul  in 
that  he  is  injuring  the  only  means  that  the  soul 
has  for  playing  its  part  in  the  world.  The  co- 
operation of  the  soul  and  body  is  a  primary 


24  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

form  of  co-operation  and  may  be  said  to  lie  at 
the  base  of  all  other  forms  of  co-operation.  For, 
the  soul  that  cannot  induce  its  own  body  to  co- 
operate with  it,  can  not  get  around  to  secure 
other  co-operation.  He  who  mistreats  his  body 
will  some  day,  in  the  time  of  dire  need,  call 
upon  it  for  assistance,  only  to  be  denied. 

Mind  Improvement. 

Man  is  not  given  his  mind  in  a  fully  developed 
state.  It  is  capable  of  being  improved.  The 
greater  the  improvement  of  the  mind,  the 
greater  its  range,  and  the  greater  its  power  to 
draw  to  its  possessor  co-operation.  One  man 
has  a  mind  of  sufficient  range  to  tie  to  himself 
the  people  of  a  county,  and  another  the  people 
of  a  state,  and  another  the  people  of  a  nation, 
another  the  people  of  all  civilized  lands.  He, 
then,  who  would  have  co-operation  upon  the 
largest  possible  scale  should  give  to  his  mind 
the  largest  possible  degree  of  improvement.  A 
man  should  seize,  therefore,  every  possible  op- 
portunity for  the  broadening  and  strengthening 
of  the  mind.  Lectures,  newspapers,  magazines 
and  books  should  be  utilized  upon  every  possible 
occasion  for  the  purpose  of  strengthening  the 
mind  as  a  preparation  for  its  task  of  winning 
co-operation  on  as  broad  a  scale  as  possible. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  25 

The  Habit  of  Reading. 

In  the  beginning  of  this  discussion  as  to  how 
to  rise  in  life,  we  set  forth  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  securing  co-operation  if  one's  life  is  to 
bear  large  fruit,  and  it  has  been  evident  that 
the  securing  of  this  co-operation  has  been  the 
guiding  star  of  this  production  thus  far.  We 
now  come  to  the  climax  of  the  qualities  needed 
to  secure  the  very  highest  and  best  form  of  co- 
operation. This  climax  is  the  habit  of  reading. 

The  individual  that  has  developed  the  habit 
of  reading  to  the  point  where  the  mind  thirsts 
for  that  sort  of  employment,  has  developed 
that  which  can  bring  to  him  the  co-operation 
of  the  great  men  of  all  the  climes,  of  all  the  ages, 
of  all  the  races.  Pericles,  whose  dust  is  tossed 
about  in  the  land  of  Greece;  Julius  Caesar,  of 
ancient  Rome;  Confucius,  the  long  departed 
guide  of  the  Chinese;  Sir  Francis  Bacon,  the 
great  English  philosopher,  and  other  noted 
characters  of  antiquity  can  lend  the  powers  of 
their  great  minds  to  those  that  have  the  habit 
of  reading.  Through  reading  one  can  have  the 
co-operation  of  the  meekness  and  wisdom  of 
Moses,  the  candor  and  trust  and  sweetness  of 
David.  All  that  men  have  ever  thought,  felt  or 
done  that  is  recorded  can  become  the  help  of  him 


26  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

who  has  the  habit  of  reading,  can  become  a  part 
of  his  life 's  equipment. 

Not  only  is  one  able  to  enlist  the  co-operation 
of  the  past  through  the  habit  of  reading,  but 
he  is  also  able  to  make  use  of  living  forces  that 
would  not  be  reached  without  the  habit.  There 
may  be  living  in  the  same  age,  or  country,  or 
village  with  a  person  an  individual  with  great 
mental,  moral  and  spiritual  strength  that  is  far 
removed,  for  one  reason  or  another,  from  the 
possibility  of  direct  personal  contact,  yet 
through  what  may  be  written  of  or  by  the  indi- 
vidual who  cannot  be  reached  personally,  the 
life  and  mind  of  this  individual  may  be  utilized 
as  an  aid  through  the  habit  of  reading.  The 
above  mentioned  facts  go  to  show  that  the  op- 
portunities for  securing  co-operation  are  bound- 
less for  those  who  have  the  habit  of  reading. 

Bearing  in  mind  the  great,  indispensable  need 
of  co-operation,  and  noting  the  great  aid  of  the 
habit  of  reading  in  securing  co-operation  from 
the  master  minds,  there  should  be  a  diligent, 
unfaltering  cultivation  of  the  habit.  Let  this 
be  done  throughout  all  the  years  of  one's  life, 
and  let  it  not  be  neglected,  it  matters  not  how 
busy,  how  very  busy,  that  life  may  be. 

The  individual  who  will  take  himself  in  hand 
and  cultivate  and  steadily  practice  the  things 
which  have  been  set  forth  herein  is  sure  to  rise 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  27 

in  life.  And  should  success  not  show  up  in 
the  form  of  material  prosperity  it  will  be  in 
evidence  in  the  esteem  in  which  one  is  held  by 
his  fellowman  and  the  good  wrought  in  the 
lives  of  others. 

It  may  at  times  seem  that  men  are  success- 
ful who  do  not  possess  all  of  the  traits  which 
we  have  set  forth,  but  if  any  one  of  these  traits 
is  missing  from  a  man's  life  there  is  grave  dan- 
ger that  its  absence  may  wreck  his  whole  ca- 
reer or  greatly  narrow  his  field  of  usefulness. 
For  example,  a  man  may  be  industrious,  thrifty 
and  polite,  and  may  thus  win  his  way  to  the 
point  where  he  may  become  the  cashier  of  a 
bank.  But  if  he  is  not  honest  he  may  wreck  the 
bank  and  destroy  his  own  usefulness.  In  such 
a  case  it  will  be  seen  that  a  lack  of  honesty  ren- 
dered of  no  avail  the  industry,  thrift  and  polite- 
ness possessed  by  the  individual.  Those  quali- 
ties won  for  him  the  co-operation  that  elevated 
him,  but  his  lack  of  honesty  will  put  organized 
society  against  him,  and  he  will  be  cast  into 
prison  and  given  a  badge  of  disgrace  so  that 
from  that  time  forward  it  will  be  difficult  for 
him  to  secure  co-operation. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  one  defect  in  a  man's 


28  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

character  sometimes  has  the  power  to  work 
harm  to  his  whole  life  and  render  of  no  avail 
other  qualities  it  behooves  one  to  strive  for  a, 
rounded  development,  to  avoid  having  any 
traits  whatever  that  will  develop  men's  antag- 
onism rather  than  their  co-operation. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  29 


The  Laws  of  Racial  Success 


Every  man  in  the  world  is  affected  not  only 
by  his  own  reputation,  but  by  that  of  the  race 
to  which  he  belongs.  If  a  race  has  an  evil 
name,  each  member  of  that  race  becomes  an 
heir  to  his  portion  of  this  disfavor,  which  is 
handed  out  to  him  before  he  gets  a  hearing  on 
his  own  individual  score.  Thus  his  individual 
case  is  handicapped  by  the  evil  name  of  his 
race,  and  the  rising  above  this  evil  name  is  an 
additional  obstacle  that  must  be  overcome. 

Whenever  the  regard  for  a  race  is  very  low, 
woe  unto  that  individual  who  happens  to  be 
caught  in  any  situation  where  his  action  or  at- 
titude is  displeasing,  and  is  supposed  to  repre- 
sent the  attitude  of  his  race.  For  the  contempt 
felt  for  a  race,  which  is  the  multiplied  contempt 
for  individuals, — a  highly  intensified  feeling,  will 
descend  upon  his  head,  and  terrible  will  be  his 
load.  This  is  the  reason  for  the  great  differ- 
ence between  the  actions  of  people  toward  a 
member  of  a  despised  race  and  a  member  of 
a  respected  race,  even  when  their  respective  of- 
fenses are  the  same  in  character. 


SO  Life's  Demands ;  or,  According  to  Law. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  a  race  is  held  in  high 
esteem,  each  member  of  that  race  draws  a  divi- 
dend of  esteem.  The  member  of  a  respected 
race  starts  out  with  a  presumption  in  his  favor, 
and  escapes  the  handicap  that  always  accom- 
panies the  man  that  belongs  to  a  race  that  is 
not  highly  esteemed. 

That  individual  that  has  personal  success  and 
draws  off  from  his  race,  content  with  what  he 
has  accomplished  personally,  sins  against  him- 
self, for  the  suspicion  will  abide  that  he  has 
not  wholly  escaped  the  taint  regarded  as  be- 
longing to  his  race.  His  complete  salvation  as 
an  individual  would  come  only  by  removing  the 
taint  of  suspicion  from  the  race,  rather  than 
by  vainly  trying  to  be  regarded  as  wholly  be- 
yond the  taint,  though  of  the  race  regarded  as 
tainted. 

The  foregoing  truths  should  lead  all  to  see, 
not  only  the  necessity  for  individual  success,  but 
the  great,  the  crying,  the  overwhelming  need  of 
racial  success  as  well. 

In  view  of  these  considerations,  it  is  the  part 
of  wisdom  for  each  member  of  a  race  to  be 
deeply  concerned,  not  only  about  his  own  per- 
sonal welfare,  but  about  that  of  his  race  as  well. 

With  the  necessity  of  racial  success  deeply 
grooved  in  our  minds,  we  are  now  prepared  to 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  31 

consider  what  is  required  to  cause  us  to  rise  as 
a  race. 

Worthy  Individuals. 

A  race  is  nothing  more  than  an  aggregation 
of  individuals.  Unless  there  are  worthy  indi- 
viduals to  compose  it,  there  will  be  no  worthy 
race.  It  is  an  idle  dream  for  anyone  to  hope 
for  a  race  to  rise  as  a  lump  without  regard  to 
what  the  units  of  the  race  are  in  themselves. 
If  you  give  a  race  the  outward  forms  of  suc- 
cess, and  have  not  worthy  individuals  it  will 
not  be  able  to  hold  what  it  has  been  given. 

Each  worker  for  the  advancement  of  the  in- 
terests of  a  race,  who  is  interested  in  racial  or 
social  success,  is  truly  working  in  that  direc- 
tion whenever  he  is  seeking  to  have  individuals 
possess  the  qualities  which  we  have  set  forth  as 
necessary  for  permanent  individual  success. 
The  person  that  smooths  and  gives  proper 
shape  to  a  stone  that  is  to  form  part  of  a  build- 
ing not  only  improves  the  appearance  of  the 
stone  but  also  helps  forward  the  building 
project,  in  that  he  prepares  the  stone  for  fit- 
ting into  the  place  in  the  building.  The  im- 
provement of  individuals,  then,  is  the  proper 
shaping  of  material  for  the  social  structure. 

As  to  how  individual  qualities  fit  into  the 
racial  or  national  life  is  well  illustrated  by  a 
trait  in  the  character  of  Lord  Nelson,  the  great 


32  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Lfab. 

English  sea-captain.  He  asserted  that  the  se- 
cret of  his  success  in  life  was  that  he  always 
made  it  a  point  to  be  fifteen  minutes  ahead  of 
time.  Promptness,  then,  pushed  him  forward 
in  life,  and  placed  him  where  he  was  able  to 
command  the  British  fleet  in  such  a  way  as  to 
give  to  his  country  the  control  of  the  sea.  Stu- 
pendous thought,  the  fate  of  a  nation  depending 
in  some  measure  upon  fifteen  minutes  of  time ! 
If  Lord  Nelson  had  not  developed  promptness 
as  an  individual  he  would  not  have  possessed 
it  as  an  official,  and  the  history  of  his  country 
might  have  been  vastly  different. 

Another  quality,  set  forth  as  needed  for  in- 
dividual success,  that  plays  a  vital  part  in  racial 
success,  and  demonstrates  that  it  takes  worthy 
individuals  to  make  a  successful  race,  is  the 
habit  of  saving.  The  various  nations  engaged  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  European  war  raging  at 
the  time  of  this  writing  have  been  forced  to 
[raise  large  sums  with  which  to  prosecute  the 
war.  The  nations  that  have  developed  thrifty 
individuals  can  now  appeal  to  them  in  the  time 
of  need  with  the  hope  of  success.  If  the  indi- 
viduals comprising  a  nation  now  at  war  had 
not  saved,  had  acted  as  though  the  national 
treasury  was  all  that  was  needed  for  success, 
that  nation  would  today  be  powerless,  for  the 
stiuggle  has  been  upon  such  proportions  as  to 


Life' 8  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  3§ 

exhaust  the  richest  national  treasury.  Thrift, 
then,  is  seen  to  be  a  civic  or  racial  virtue  as 
well  as  an  individual  one. 

Yet  another  individual  virtue  may  be  cited 
to  show  how  that  virtues  in  individuals  turn 
out  to  be  racial  or  national  assets.  We  refer 
to  the  matter  of  caring  for  the  body.  As  the 
soldiers  of  the  various  countries  meet  each  other 
in  the  shock  of  battle  the  care  that  they  have 
taken  of  their  bodies  as  individuals  often  deter- 
mines the  question  as  to  whether  they  are  to  be 
victorious  or  losing  soldiers.  Mistreated  bodies 
cannot  well  stand  the  strain  of  long  marches, 
the  digging  of  trenches  and  exposure  to  the 
pangs  of  hunger,  the  whipping  of  cold  winds, 
trudging  in  deep  snows  and  lying  in  trenches 
almost  filled  with  water. 

Go  over  the  entire  scale  of  qualities  set  forth 
for  individual  success  and  it  can  be  understood 
readily  that  the  race  that  does  not  have  indi- 
viduals that  possess  these  qualities  have  no 
chance  to  take  even  the  first  step  toward  racial 
or  national  success.  Let  it  be  taken  for  granted 
then,  at  the  outset  of  the  discussion  of  the  laws 
of  racial  growth,  that  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to 
observe  with  all  strictness  the  laws  of  indi- 
vidual success. 

A  man  who,  without  proper  personal  quali- 
ties, shouts  for  racial  success  is  like  an  arm- 


34  Life* a  bemands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

less  and  legless  man  trying  to  form  a  part  of 
an  army.  Let  every  one  desiring  racial  success 
feel  that  his  first  and  most  important  contribu- 
tion to  that  great  task  is  to  cause  himself  to 
possess  the  qualities  needed  for  enduring  in- 
dividual success. 

Co-operative  Effort. 

The  great  tasks  of  life,  while  requiring 
worthy  individuals,  are  not  performed  by  indi- 
viduals working  singly,  but  in  combinations. 
What  the  world  stands  most  in  need  of  is  co- 
operation. 

The  overshadowing  importance  of  the  co-op- 
erative trait  has  been  set  forth  most  clearly  by 
the  world's  greatest .  thinkers.  Prince  Kro- 
potkin,  the  eminent  Russian  naturalist,  in  dis- 
cussing co-operation  as  found  among  lower  an- 
imals, says: 

''If  we  *  *  *  ask  Nature,  'Who  are  the 
fittest,  those  who  are  continually  at  war  with 
each  other,  or  those  who  support  one  another!' 
we  at  once  see  that  those  animals  which  acquire 
habits  of  mutual  aid  are  undoubtedly  the  fittest. 
They  have  more  chances  to  survive,  and  they 
attain,  in  their  respective  classes,  the  highest 
development  of  intelligence  and  bodily  organi- 
zation." 

Charles  Parwin,  the  great  expounder  of  the 
doctrine  of  evolution,  one  of  the  master  minds 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  35 

of  all  the  ages,  speaks  as  follows  of  the  effects 
of  the  spirit  of  co-operation  as  observed  by 
him  in  the  course  of  his  intimate  studies  of  ani- 
mal life:  " Those  communities  (of  animals) 
which  included  the  greatest  number  of  the  most 
sympathetic  members  would  flourish  best." 

The  great  religious  philosopher,  the  late 
Prof.  Henry  Drummond,  says:  "To  create 
units  in  indefinite  quantities  and  scatter  them 
over  the  world  is  not  even  to  take  one  single 
step  in  progress.  Before  any  higher  evolution 
can  take  place  these  units  must  by  some  means 
be  brought  into  relation  so  as  not  only  to  act 
together,  but  to  react  upon  each  other.  Accord- 
ing to  well-knwn  boiological  laws,  it  is  only  in 
combinations,  whether  of  atoms,  cells,  animals, 
or  human  beings  that  individual  units  can 
make  any  progress,  and  to  create  such  combi- 
nations is  in  every  case  the  first  condition  of 
development.  Hence  the  first  commandment  of 
evolution  everywhere  is:  "Thou  shalt  mass, 
segregate,  combine,  grow  large.'  " 

Another  writer  has  expressed  the  thought 
that  "neither  material  prosperity,  nor  happi- 
ness, nor  physical  vigor,  nor  high  intelligence," 
constitute  the  difference  between  the  ' '  higher ' ' 
and  "lower"  races,  but  that  "those  are  higher 
in  which  broad  social  instincts  and  the  habit  of 
co-operation  exist." 


36  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

From  out  of  the  life  of  lowly  insects  and  ani- 
mals, and  from  the  records  of  the  doings  of 
men  in  all  the  ages  of  human  existence  under 
all  known  conditions,  comes  the  great  outstand- 
ing lesson  that  the  richest  rewards  of  life  are 
denied  to  all  men  and  things  that  do  not  acquire 
the  high  art  of  working  in  unison  for  the  at- 
tainment of  the  purposes  of  life.  They  who 
will  not  or  cannot  acquire  the  art  of  working 
together  will  be  forever  shut  out  from  the 
higher  joys  of  life;  must  forever  move  upon  the 
lower  planes  of  existence;  must  stand  doomed 
to  gaze  in  hopeless  sorrow  at  the  heights  at- 
tained by  others  yet  firmly  denied  to  them. 

Every  group  has  its  unfortunates,  its  sick,  its 
poor,  its  criminals,  its  morally  delinquent  ones. 
In  the  very  nature  of  things  these  people  can- 
not save  themselves.  Nor  is  it  to  be  expected 
that  individuals  will  be  found  to  bear  singly 
these  burdens.  Such  problems  can  be  solved 
only  by  collective  effort,  and  wherever  co-op- 
eration is  ineffective  these  problems  go  un- 
solved to  breed  myriads  of  attendant  evils.  In 
the  case  of  the  Negroes  of  the  United  States 
there  is  the  further  problem  of  providing  an 
outlet  for  the  individuals  of  special  talents  who 
are  granted  unto  groups  by  nature  to  keep  heart 
and  hope  in  the  bosoms  of  the  masses  of  men. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  37 

These  needed  places  of  distinction  must  come, 
can  only  come,  through  co-operative  effort. 

Those  who  hope  that  in  some  way  or  another 
time  or  accident  may  grant  the  blessings  en- 
joyed by  the  groups  that  obey  the  laws  of  co- 
operative life  are  but  chasing  a  ghost.  Time, 
instead  of  being  the  friend  of  non-co-operating 
groups,  will  simply  pile  up  evidence  of  the  su- 
periority of  co-operating  groups  over  those  that 
fail  to  heed  the  very  first  law  of  national  or 
racial  success. 

In  view  of  the  vast,  and  vital,  the  absolutely 
inescapable  need  of  co-operation,  the  working  of 
men  together,  we  know  of  no  greater  service 
that  can  be  rendered  mankind  than  that  of  try- 
ing to  reveal  the  exact  nature  of  the  require- 
ments for  effective  co-operation.  We  therefore 
offer  our  conception  of  the  qualities  needed. 

Possession  of  Firmness  Amid  Unfavorable 
Surroundings. 

Co-operative  effort  along  any  line  and  for 
any  purpose  will  find  great  lethargy,  great 
doubt,  and  sometimes  tremendous  opposition  in 
its  way.  Sometimes  it  may  suffer  what  seems 
to  be  crushing,  overwhelming  and  final  defeat. 
Men  with  timid  hearts,  who  do  not  know  how 
to  possess  their  souls  in  patience  while  pass- 
ing through  the  dark  periods  of  life  interfere 
greatly  with  the  development  of  co-operative 


38  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

effort,  as  men  of  vision,  men  who  see  success 
after  struggle,  hesitate  about  embarking  upon 
enterprises  with  men  whose  spirits  wither  in 
the  face  of  obstacles.  Yet  co-operative  effort 
can  hardly  come  unless  leaders  arise  with  the 
power  to  face  this  timidity,  and  with  the  pa- 
tience to  overcome  it. 

Freedom  From  Excessive  Emotionalism. 
There  is  a  tendency  on  the  part  of  some  men 
to  act  only  when  their  emotions  are  aroused. 
They  seem  to  give  themselves  up  to  that  mode 
of  life-  In  great  co-operative  enterprises  men 
cannot  be  spared  for  the  mere  purpose  of  keep- 
ing spirit  pumped  into  the  hearts  of  the  va- 
rious co-operating  units.  Men  who  resolve 
upon  a  course,  and  then  allow  their  interest  to 
cool  off  and  die  down  merely  because  there  is 
not  a  personal  agent  to  keep  it  alive  are  great 
hindrances  to  co-operative  life.  That  is  what 
may  be  termed  excessive  emotionalism.  It  is 
a  weakness  in  temperament  which  causes  men 
to  be  enthusiastic  over  a  matter  one  day,  and 
cool  the  next,  with  no  change  whatever  in  the 
surrounding  conditions.  This  embarrasses  lead- 
ership, as  men,  led  on  by  the  outbursts  of  en- 
thusiasm, soon  find  themselves  unsupported 
by  the  excessively  emotional  people  upon  whose 
promised  co-operation  they  had  relied  for  suc- 
cess, 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  39 

To  be  worthy  factors  in  co-operative  under- 
takings men  should  weigh  well  whatever  is  put 
before  them,  and  when  a  course  is  entered  upon 
should  not  allow  a  mere  lapse  of  time  or  the 
absence  of  the  arousing  influence  to  cause  them 
to  lose  their  zeal.  They  should  have  an  internal 
battery  to  keep  themselves  awake  in  their  en- 
thusiasm. Individuals  who  do  not  flare  up  to- 
day and  die  down  in  enthusiasm  tomorrow,  that 
are  moved  by  the  steady  pull  of  conviction,  have 
a  quality  essential  for  co-operation. 

Courage. 

It  is  sometimes  the  case  that  a  multitude  is 
wrong  and  is  headed  in  a  direction  that  will  re- 
sult in  serious  misfortune.  Some  one  person 
standing  apart  in  mind  from  the  popular  drift 
may  see  the  error  that  the  multitude  is  making. 
Such  a  man,  if  lacking  in  courage,  will  fail  to 
proclaim  his  views,  fearing  to  fly  in  the  face  of 
the  multitude.  Yet,  since  large  bodies  can 
make  such  large  mistakes,  they  should  have 
the  full  benefit  of  the  thoughts  of  all.  It  is  only 
thus  that  they  can  be  saved  from  great  blunders 
or  rescued  from  dangerous  positions.  A  group 
composed  of  cowardly  men,  fearing  to  express 
their  sober  thoughts,  regardless  as  to  the  views 
held  by  others,  may  expect  to  commit  blunder 
after  blunder. 

Whenever  a  course  is  decided  upon  that  one 


40  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

feels  sure  is  wrong  he  should  unhesitatingly 
state  his  views.  Good  co-operating  units  stand 
ready  to  lend  their  judgment  to  their  respec- 
tive groups,  however  much  they  may  excite  the 
displeasure  of  those  that  disagree  with  them. 
Minds  Open  to  Conviction. 

While  a  man  must  have  the  courage  to  pro- 
claim his  own  views,  he  must  likewise  keep  an 
open  mind,  ready  to  accept  the  truth  when  it 
comes  from  another.  It  is  indeed  harmful  to  the 
cause  of  co-operation  to  have  men  with  closed 
minds,  indisposed  to  listen,  unmindful  of  the 
fact  that  we  rarely  know  when  we  have  reached 
the  true  bottom  of  a  thing.  While  it  is  a  man's 
duty  to  act  in  keeping  with  whatever  light  he 
has,  it  is  also  his  duty  to  move  along  ready  to  re- 
ceive all  the  new  light  possible.  An  army  of  men 
each  with  a  closed  mind  cannot  be  brought  into 
that  state  of  unity  of  thought  that  is  absolutely 
essential  for  co-operative  effort.  Open-mind- 
edness  is  a  great  virtue  when  found  in  those 
due  to  co-operate.  The  narrow  closed  mind 
that  does  not  bear  in  mind  that  it  may  be  wrong, 
is  a  menace  to  co-operation,  and  should  be  dis- 
carded. 

The  Placing  of  Right  Above  Courtesy  or 
Friendship. 

In  order  that  men  may  work  together  in  com- 
binations they  should  be  uniformly  courteous 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  41 

toward  each  other,  thoroughly  honest  in  their 
dealings  with  each  other,  and  firmly  wedded  to 
the  principle  of  choosing  for  service  only  such 
individuals  as  can  best  perform  the  tasks  be- 
fore them.  While  there  must  be  courtesy  and 
kindliness  always,  yet  this  must  not  be  stretched 
to  the  point  of  favoring  persons  for  positions 
who  are  not  the  best  qualified  for  the  service 
demanded. 

Nor  must  courtesy,  nor  friendship,  be  allowed 
to  influence  a  man  to  take  any  position  in  any 
matter  that  is  not  in  keeping  with  what  is  best. 
Co-operative  effort,  in  order  to  be  a  success, 
must  have  the  benefit  of  the  best  thought  of 
the  minds  interested,  and  nothing  should  be  al- 
lowed to  sway  or  keep  back  that  best  thought. 
Each  member  of  a  body  of  any  kind  should  con- 
cede to  every  other  member  the  right  to  have 
and  freely  and  vigorously  express  any  opinion 
that  he  may  have,  without  the  loss  of  any  meas- 
ure whatsoever  of  kindly  feeling. 

Honesty  That  Can  Withstand  a  Temptation  of 

Any  Strength. 

The  essence  of  co-operation  is  a  concentra- 
tion of  strength,  and  in  order  to  have  concen- 
tration, the  resources  of  all  must  sometimes  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  one.  It  is  hard  to  have 
co-operation  wherever  it  is  hard  to  find  a  man 
who  is  so  firmly  honest  that  nothing  can  tempt 


42  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

him  to  betray  his  trust.  M$n  who  desire  to  see 
co-operative  effort  succeed  should  resolve  to 
be  honest  at  all  hazards,  honest  in  every  way, 
honest  when  there  seems  to  be  no  likelihood  of 
the  detection  of  dishonesty.  Whoever  is  dis- 
honest with  entrusted  power  commits  a  high 
crime  of  treason  against  co-operative  effort, 
sins  against  the  deepest  need  of  humanity. 

Unless  a  race  has  developed  men  of  the 
strength  of  character  here  indicated,  even  what 
appears  to  be  great  progress,  in  the  end,  will 
prove  to  have  been  the  mere  assembling  of  ma- 
terial for  a  great  and  disastrous  conflagration, 
more  disastrous  than  if  the  seeming  progress 
had  not  been  made.  A  few  years  ago  the  news 
was  heralded  far  and  wide  that  the  Negroes  of 
Mississippi  were  making  great  strides  along 
the  line  of  collective  endeavor.  As  proof  of  this 
the  presence  of  seemingly  strong  fraternal  or- 
ganizations and  the  existence  of  twelve  Negro 
banks  were  cited.  There  was  much  rejoicing 
over  this  showing  of  the  race,  many  exchanges 
of  congratulations  upon  what  appeared  to  be 
the  progress  in  the  matter  of  collective  en- 
deavor. The  bosoms  of  Negroes  swelled  with 
pride,  and  visions  of  the  race  at  last  upon  its 
feet  cheered  hearts  that  long  had  sighed  for 
racial  greatness.  But  alas,  the  progress  was 
only  seeming  progress.  One  by  one  the  fra- 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  43 

ternal  organizations  collapsed  until  nearly  all 
had  failed.  The  Negro  banks  were  overtaken 
by  failure  until  all  save  one  had  closed  their 
doors.  Not  all  of  these  failures  were  caused  by 
dishonesty,  but  that  played  an  important  part 
in  the  general  collapse.  It  is  a  law  of  social 
progress  that  honesty  of  'the  most  unyielding 
kind  must  precede  all  efforts  on  the  part  of 
people  to  work  together  in  collective  enter- 
prises, and  the  one  great  question  to  be  asked 
over  and  over  again  is:  Have  we  the  charac- 
ter as  a  race  to  stand  the  strain  of  the  greater 
temptations  that  come  with  all  efforts  at  col- 
lective endeavor? 

The  experiences  of  Russia  in  the  great  Eu- 
ropean war  have  written  in  blood  the  lesson  of 
the  utter  foolishness  of  trying  to  get  forward 
as  a  race  without  honesty  as  a  basic  principle. 
It  is  said  that  men  whose  duty  it  was  to  provide 
ammunition  for  the  soldiers  at  the  front  were 
dishonest.  It  is  charged  that  they  stole  the 
funds  entrusted  to  their  care,  and  filled  the  am- 
munition boxes  full  of  rubbish  and  shipped  them 
to  the  scene  of  battle.  The  Austro-German 
forces  came  bearing  down  upon  the  Russians 
who  sought  to  stem  the  tide.  Russian  generals 
planned  well.  Russian  soldiers  fought  bravely. 
But  the  Russian  armies  were  driven  back,  back, 
back  in  bitter  and  overwhelming  defeat.  And 


44  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

this  was  due  to  the  fact  that  dishonesty  had 
crept  into  the  life  of  the  nation.  Skill  and  cour- 
age could  not  take  the  place  of  honesty.  Every 
advance  of  a  Eussian  soldier  with  dishonest 
officials  at  his  back  only  meant  just  that  much 
progress  toward  a  grave. 

Let  all  who  would  build  racial  life  bear  in 
mind  constantly  the  fact  of  'the  increase  of  the 
strength  of  temptation  that  comes  with  the  con- 
centration necessary  for  collective  endeavor, 
and  let  them  not  imagine  that  a  race  has  made 
one  inch  of  progress  as  a  race,  or  that  it  can 
make  one  inch  of  progress  until  it  has  developed 
men  and  women  whom  the  flames  of  hell  can- 
not drive,  and  the  glitter  of  boundless  fields  of 
gold  cannot  tempt  into  dishonesty.  Let  all  of 
the  forces  of  the  race  be  set  to  the  task  of  de- 
veloping character.  From  the  fireside,  from 
the  sabbath  school,  from  the  public  school,  from 
the  lecture  platform  and  from  the  pulpit  let 
the  message  go  forth  with  burning  zeal 
that  we  must  all  be  honest.  Let  it  be  taught 
that  >to  be  poor  is  simply  a  misfortune,  but  that 
dishonesty  is  an  unmitigated  shame.  Let  the 
people  be  firm  of  heart,  and  honor  the  honest 
beggar,  with  his  bare  feet  upon  the  ground,  over 
the  man  who  has  accumulated  wealth  in  a  dis- 
honest way. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  45 

Discriminating  Trust. 

There  are  two  courses  of  action,  either  of 
which  will  break  down  absolutely  co-operative 
endeavors.  One  of  these  is  universal  distrust, 
and  the  other  is  universal  trust.  It  is  to  be 
noted  that  co-operative  effort  is  far  less  devel- 
oped in  Africa  than  in  either  of  the  other  con- 
tinents. It  bears  the  reputation  of  being  the 
land  of  universal  distrust.  Missionaries  report 
that  distrust  reaches  even  to  the  matter  of  din- 
ing. It  is  said  that  a  man  who  offers  food  to 
another  is  expected  to  eat  first  of  it  himself  as 
evidence  that  it  does  not  contain  poison.  A  land 
so  permeated  with  ithe  spirit  of  distrust  hardly 
could  be  expected  to  develop  along  co-operative 
lines. 

The  value  of  faith  as  a  factor  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  a  race  is  set  forth  tersely  in  the  following 
sentence  from  the  eminent  writer  and  scientist, 
•the  late  Professor  Nathaniel  S.  Shaler:  "In 
our  own  Aryan  race,  as  well  as  in  the  Semitic, 
there  is  an  element  of  confidence  of  man  in  his 
fellows  that  leads  to  the  association  of  endeavor 
in  business." 

If  the  Negroes  are  to  succeed  they  must  de- 
stroy the  tendency  toward  universal  distrust. 

But  care  must  be  taken  not  to  go  to  the  other 
extreme,  a  policy  of  universal  trust.  Not  every- 
one is  worthy  of  trust.  Promiscuous  trusting 


46  Life'a  Demands;  or,  According  to  Lau). 

will  have  no  effect  other  than  to  break  down  all 
trust,  and  hurl  the  race  back  into  the  baneful 
slough  of  universal  distrust.  The  proper  thing 
to  do  is  to  trust  discriminatingly.  A  man  with 
an  evil  heart  usually  hangs  out  somewhere  very 
plain  signs  of  the  state  of  his  heart.  Wherever 
there  is  evidence  that  a  man  is  dishonest,  with- 
hold from  him  your  confidence. 

But  judge  not  all  men  by  ;the  dishonest  ones. 
Be  vigilant,  keep  ears  and  eyes  open,  and  so 
long  as  men  give  evidence  of  worthiness  of 
trust,  then  trust  them.  Without  discriminating 
trust  there  can  be  no  success  on  a  large  scale. 

Fidelity  Toward  Representatives. 
There  come  times  when  races  cannot,  as  a 
whole,  perform  certain  tasks,  but  stand  in  need 
of  agents  or  representatives  to  act  for  them. 
Whenever  a  man  serves  in  a  representative  ca- 
pacity, labors  in  the  interest  of  the  common 
good,  he  should  not  fail  of  support  on  the  part 
of  all  the  people.  It  is  as  dishonorable  in  a  race 
to  accept  the  services  of  a  representative  and 
neglect  the  representative  as  it  is  for  an  indi- 
vidual to  neglect  one  who  renders  personal 
service.  If  there  is  no  spirit  in  the  people  ito 
stand  by  the  man  that  serves  in  a  representa- 
tive capacity,  there  will  come  to  be  a  dearth  of 
those  willing  to  labor  and  sacrifice  for  the  com- 
mon good. 


I/t/e'«  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  4? 

A  Disposition  to  Follow. 

It  is  the  possession  of  great  followers  that 
makes  a  great  race.  Unless  a  race  has  men  who 
in  their  respective  spheres  will  put  into  opera- 
tion good  ideas  that  are  offered,  there  can  be 
no  great  measure  of  racial  success.  Find  a 
race  where  men  who  have  acquired  influence  sit 
still  and  push  only  such  ideas  as  they,  per- 
chance, may  father,  there  failure  is  inevitable. 
And  in  such  a  case  ithe  failure  will  come,  not 
from  bad  leadership,  but  from  bad  following. 
If  great  men  are  needed  to  make  motions,  there 
is  also  needed  greatness  of  soul  on  the  part  of 
the  people  to  second  motions. 

No  man  should  become  so  great  in  his  own 
eyes  that  he  feels  that  he  is  above  being  a  fol- 
lower. Good  following  is  as  much  a  necessity 
as  wise  leadership,  and  all  members  of  a  race 
should  strive  to  lead  wisely  where  they  are 
leaders,  and  to  follow  faithfully  where  they  are 
due  to  follow. 

Subordination  of  Personal  Feelings. 

It  is  to  be  expected  that  men  will  differ,  and 
so  long  as  men  are  imperfect,  differences  may 
develop  of  a  personal  nature.  But  whatever 
may  be  men's  personal  relations  toward  each 
other,  they  must  have  the  ability  to  put  those 
things  aside  and  work  harmoniously  together 
for  the  common  good.  Under  no  circumstances 


48  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Lav). 

should  personal  differences  be  dragged  into 
public  affairs.  In  considering  things  pertain- 
ing to  the  common  good,  men  should  be  careful 
to  prune  their  hearts  to  see  that  personal  feel- 
ings are  not  swaying  their  judgment. 

The  Elimination  of  Opposition  Born  of  Jealousy. 

Wherever  you  have  a  race  permeated  with  a 
spirit  of  jealousy  great  loss  is  sustained  in 
two  ways.  There  are  natural  obstacles  -to  be 
overcome  in  every  undertaking,  obstacles  due 
to  the  very  nature  of  things.  But  jealousy  be- 
gets artificial  obstacles,  adds  new  and  unneces- 
sary burdens.  Wherever  the  jealous  spirit  ex- 
ists, a  great  deal  of  energy  must  be  expended  in 
overcoming  the  hindrances  which  it  has  thrown 
up.  Thus  the  person  anxious  to  accomplish 
good  must  utilize  precious  time  and  energy 
that  could  be  employed  in  a  productive  way, 
in  clearing  away  the  artificial  obstructions 
thrown  up  by  jealous  opponents. 

In  the  second  place,  the  jealous  individuals 
who  spend  time  and  energy  trying  ,to  impede 
the  progress  of  others  subtract  that  much  time 
and  energy  needed  to  more  fully  develop  their 
own  affairs. 

Fill  a  race  with  the  -spirit  of  jealousy,  have 
this  double  waste  on  a  widespread  scale,  and  it 
is  at  once  apparent  how  much  is  lost,  how  much 
a  race  is  kept  back. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  49 

Kaces  composed  of  members  guilty  of  the  sin 
of  jealousy  toward  each  other,  anxious  to  pre- 
vent each  other  from  succeeding,  need  no  out- 
side forces  to  hold  them  down.  They  may  be 
relied  upon  to  hold  themselves  down. 

Let  each  man  view  his  neighbor's  success 
with  feelings  of  delight.  If  there  is  a  desire  «to 
shine  brighter,  let  it  be  done  by  superior  merit 
on  the  part  of  the  desiring  one,  and  not  by  try- 
ing to  prevent  someone  else  from  having  the 
largest  possible  measure  of  success  when  ob- 
tained in  the  right  way. 

So  long  as  men  are  serving  the  common  in- 
terests in  the  highest  and  broadest  way  pos- 
sible, they  should  be  allowed  to  continue  their 
service.  Jealousy,  or  the  mere  desire  for  per- 
sonal preferment  at  the  expense  of  the  public 
should  not  be  allowed  -to  arise  in  the  heart.  The 
eye  should  be  kept  fixed  upon  the  common  good. 
Jealousy  should  be  slain  and  no  personal  ambi- 
tion should  be  gratified  except  such  ambition 
as  finds  its  chief  satisfaction  in  the  good  done 
for  the  co-operative  group  or  body. 

That  person  is  worthy  of  elevation  who  per- 
forms a  wedding  between  his  ambition  and  'the 
best  good  of  the  group  of  which  he  forms  a  part. 
Such  an  individual  will  not  disturb  needlessly 
good  men  rendering  service,  nor  will  he  inject 
his  personal  ambition  when  and  where  he  sees 


60  Life'*  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

it  will  be  a  disturbing  factor  for  the  group  of 
body,  even  though  it  might  advance  his  own 
personal  interests. 

But  care  must  be  taken  not  to  confound  right- 
ful opposition  to  those  who  are  not  serving  the 
public  interest  in  the  highest  and  best  way  with 
the  feeling  of  jealousy.  The  one  attitude  is  as 
high  as  the  other  attitude  is  low. 

A  Spirit  of  Universal  Helpfulness. 

A  thing  that  will  add  zest  and  power  to  group 
life  or  co-operative  endeavor  is  for  the  various 
units  to  have  proof  that  the  other  units  are 
concerned  about  their  welfare  and  are  anxious 
to  help  them.  If  a  man  is  made  to  feel  that  he 
is  alone  in  the  world,  that  no  one  cares  for  him, 
this  is  calculated  to  breed  selfishness  and  de- 
stroy patriotism.  But  love  for  the  group  and  a 
disposition  to  sacrifice  for  it  are  begotten  where 
one  is  made  to  feel  the  warm  co-operation  of 
his  fellows.  Let  no  man  tread  the  wine  press 
alone  if  he  is  doing  a  good  work.  Let  all  throw 
their  strength  behind  him  and  help  him  for- 
ward. "Let  all  help  each"  should  be  the  motto 
of  every  community,  of  every  group.  Develop- 
ment will  be  marvelous  when  men  learn  to  seek 
earnestly  the  good  of  their  fellows. 
Capability  of  Being  Influenced  to  Act  by  Other 
Than  Direct  Appeals  Made  in  Person. 

A  race  of  people   composed    of   individuals 


Demands;  of,  According  to  Law.  Si 

that  are  not  capable  of  being  influenced  to  ac- 
tion by  printed  or  written  matter  is  woefully 
handicapped.  Wherever  a  human  messenger 
must  be  sent  to  perform  that  which  ought  to  be 
performed  by  a  piece  of  paper  on  which  type 
has  placed  a  message,  there  is  just  that  much 
of  needless  waste  of  energy  and  added  expense. 
The  obtaining  of  results  under  such  conditions 
is  so  very  expensive  as  greatly  to  hinder  rapid 
development.  Exhibit  a  race  composed  of  in- 
dividuals that  are  moved  only  when  a  human 
being  comes  along,  and  you  will  behold  a  people 
doomed  to  lag  behind  other  races  of  men  that 
can  feel  and  respond  to  matters  not  thus 
brought.  Such  a  state  of  affairs  reduces  the 
possibilities  of  leadership,  begets  an  air  of  un- 
certainty, and  a  total  lack  of  knowledge  of  the 
state  of  men's  minds. 

Corresponding  races,  or  races  moved  by  writ- 
ten or  printed  appeals,  are  more  than  a  thou- 
sand times  more  efficient  than  those  that 
can  absorb  what  is  written  or  printed  with- 
out being  moved  to  action.  To  succeed  as  a 
race  we  must  move  up  out  of  the  age  of  the 
voice,  the  age  of  the  direct  personal  appeal,  and 
live  in  an  age  where  an  idea  can  influence  to 
action  by  whatever  route  it  drifts  one's  way. 

When  the  time  arrives  that  the  Negroes  are 
capable  of  being  moved  to  action  on  a  large 


62  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

scale  by  what  they  read,  a  marked  change  in 
•the  condition  of  the  race  will  begin  instantly 
and  will  be  marvelous  in  its  proportions. 

Ability  to  Feel  Keen  Personal  Responsibility 
Where  Large  Numbers  Are  Involved. 

Every  organization,  group  or  combination  of 
men  has  its  opportunities,  its  possibilities,  its 
responsibilities.  These  exist  in  proportion  to 
its  size.  The  larger  it  is,  the  more  are  the  op- 
portunities that  knock  at  its  door,  the  greater 
are  its  possibilities,  and  the  heavier  its  respon- 
sibilities. Before  whom  are  these  things  to  be 
placed!  Before  -the  membership?  And  if  the 
various  members  cannot  feel  a  keen  personal 
responsibility  simply  because  so  many  are  in- 
volved they  make  poor  members  of  a  group, 
and  are  sorry  material  for  co-operative  life.  A 
member  should  do  all  in  his  power  to  take  care 
of  the  honor  of  a  body  of  which  he  forms  a  part. 

A  large  group  composed  of  men  who  are  lack- 
ing in  what  may  be  termed  community  shame, 
who  do  not  feel  personally  the  sting  of  a  group 's 
disgrace  will  but  invite  the  disgust  of  men.  One 
should  cultivate  the  power  to  feel  personally 
ashamed  of  all  remissness  of  duty  on  the  part 
of  organizations  in  which  he  claims  member- 
ship. 

Every  unit  of  a  race  should  feel  a  personal 
responsibility  for  the  good  name  and  welfare  of 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  53 

the  race.  That  which  concerns  the  welfare  of 
all  should  not  be  allowed  by  any  individual  to 
rest  lightly  on  his  shoulders  merely  because  oth- 
ers are  involved  to  an  equal  degree.  The  motto 
of  each  individual  should  be :  * '  Let  me  feel  in 
this  matter,  and  let  me  act,  as  I  would  if  the 
whole  responsibility  of  this  affair  rested  upon 
me  alone."  Such  a  feeling  should  possess  all, 
and  all  should  act  accordingly.  But  while  do- 
ing his  utmost  to  help  take  care  of  the  interests 
of  the  race,  let  no  one  fail  to  do  what  he  hon- 
orably can  for  the  protection  of  himself  and 
those  immediately  depending  on  him.  How- 
ever, if  the  time  comes  when  a  man  must  make 
choice  between  his  own  personal  welfare  and 
the  welfare  of  his  kind,  let  him  not  hesitate  to 
sacrifice  himself  in  the  interest  of  the  common 
good. 

A  Proper  Attitude  on  the  Part  of  the  Strong 

Toward  the  Weak. 

All  weakness  is  a  source  of  some  kind  of  dan- 
ger, not  only  to  the  persons  possessing  the 
weakness,  but  also  to  the  most  remote  parts  of 
any  system  with  which  the  weak  are  in  any  de- 
gree connected.  Because  of  this  close,  but  often 
unappreciated,  connection  between  the  strong 
and  the  weak,  wherever  you  find  the  strong  in- 
different to  the  welfare  of  the  weak,  or  find  the 
strong  believing  that  weakness  is  a  thing  to  be 


54  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

taken  advantage  of  by  strength,  there  you  will 
find  a  situation  doomed  to  grow  worse  for  all 
concerned.  An  illustration  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  fate  of  <the  strong  is  bound  up  with 
that  of  the  weak  may  be  found  in  a  situation 
that  confronted  the  English  people  and  their 
allies  at  one  period  during  the  great  modern 
European  war.  The  drink  habit  on  the  part  of 
a  minority  of  English  workingmen  was  said  to 
have  endangered  the  cause  of  England  and  her 
allies,  who  suffered  greatly  from  the  lack  of 
ammunition  which  the  drinking  workmen  could 
have  supplied  easily  had  they  lived  soberly. 
Observe,  then,  the  destiny  of  the  modern  world 
in  danger  of  being  decided  by  the  weakness  of 
a  very  small  group! 

There  should  be  no  weak.  All  elements  should 
be  made  and  kept  strong.  To  this  end  the  strong 
should  feel  keenly  their  duty  of  aiding  the  weak. 
If  this  policy  is  not  pursued,  as  has  been  indi- 
cated, the  weak,  some  day,  and  in  some  way, 
will  assuredly  cause  the  loss  of  much  that  the 
strong  have  built  up. 

It  is  simply  indispensable  for  success  as  a 
race  that  there  shall  be  persistent,  organized, 
systematic,  and,  at  the  same  time,  personal  ef- 
forts to  save  those  who  lag  'behind  in  any  sphere 
of  life,  whether  boys  or  girls,  or  men  or  women. 
Beware,  beware,  beware  of  any  other  course ! 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  55 

Regard  For  the  Welfare  of  Coming  Generations. 

It  has  been  clearly  demonstrated  that  those 
nations  are  the  most  successful  that  most 
largely  include  future  generations  in  their  plan- 
nings.  Those  who  look  far  ahead,  and  plan  for 
the  welfare  of  the  distant  future,  develop  a 
soberness  of  spirit,  a  soundness  of  judgment,  a 
habitual  cautiousness,  and  an  ability  for  self- 
denial  that  unite  to  cause  them  to  plan  well  for 
themselves,  along  with  their  wise  plannings  for 
the  future.  A  nation  can  do  nothing  better  for 
itself  than  to  include  the  unborn  in  all  of  its 
calculations.  Those  who  plan  only  for  their 
own  day  live  to  learn  that  in  making  their  plans 
short,  they  made  them  too  short,  and  they  some 
day  find  themselves  called  upon  to  eat  of  the 
bitter  fruit  which  their  short-sightedness  had 
planned  for  future  generations. 

Men  and  women  enrich  the  life  of  a  nation 
when  they  live  with  a  view  to  giving  their  own 
untarnished  names  as  inspiring  forces  for  the 
boys  and  girls  of  the  future.  They  likewise  de- 
velop powers  that  help  their  own  day  and  gen- 
eration when  they  nurture  institutions  designed 
to  take  care  of  the  interests  of  the  future. 
Due  Regard  For  Womankind. 

Inasmuch  as  the  shaping  of  the  destiny  of 
children  is  in  the  hands  of  mothers  to  such  a 
large  extent,  a  due  regard  for  the  welfare  of 


66  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

coming  generations  demands  that  the  women 
of  the  race  shall  be  surrounded  with  an  atmos- 
phere of  protection,  respect,  deference  and 
kindliness.  Out  of  hearts  made  strong  and 
lifted  up  by  the  homage  of  mankind,  the  women 
will  impart  to  their  children  the  qualities  of 
manliness  and  womanliness  that  should  be  in- 
bred in  the  individuals  if  they  are  expected  to 
have  the  spirit  and  character  needed  for  the 
stern  issues  of  life.  Therefore  every  man  who 
treats  well  his  wife,  every  man  who  acts  hon- 
orably and  nobly  toward  any  woman,  is  aiding 
the  life  of  the  race  just  that  much.  Likewise 
the  mistreatment  of  any  woman  is  just  that 
much  of  a  load  weighting  down  a  race. 

Morality. 

It  is  universally  conceded  that  the  home  is 
the  foundation  upon  which  the  greatness  of  a 
nation  is  builded.  In  the  home  the  father  has 
the  strength,  and  the  mother  the  love  needed 
for  the  successful  rearing  of  children  so  that 
they  will  prove  to  be  good  citizens.  This  form 
of  co-operation  known  as  marriage  is  made  pos- 
sible only  by  belief  in  the  possibility  of  exclu- 
sive devotion  of  men  and  women  to  each  other. 
Destroy  faith  in  the  possibility  of  the  existence 
of  such  devotion,  and  you  destroy  the  very 
foundation  of  the  home,  which,  in  turn,  is  the 
foundation  of  national  or  racial  greatness. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  57 

Every  act  of  immorality  is  an  attack  on  this 
faith,  tends  toward  the  loosening  of  family  ties, 
the  disruption  of  homes,  and  the  casting  adrift 
of  children,  so  that  they  will  fail  of  the  joint 
care  of  their  parents.  The  man  or  woman  who 
lives  a  moral  life  and  sets  an  example  of  purity 
can  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he 
or  she  is  not  only  doing  that  which  is  right  and 
best  for  himself  or  herself,  but  that  which  is 
necessary  for  the  welfare  of  humankind.  On 
the  other  hand,  let  everyone  lacking  morality 
regard  himself  as  one  of  an  army  attacking 
with  might  and  main  the  very  foundations  of 
society. 

It  has  been  said  that  there  are  three  great 
causes  of  war  as  revealed  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  commerce,  women  and  religion.  Women 
not  only  have  been  the  cause  of  wars  between 
nations,  but  have  been  the  occasion  of  much 
friction  within  the  nation.  Men  that  should 
have  worked  together  for  the  common  good 
have  become  estranged  on  account  of  women, 
have  failed  to  give  their  nations  the  benefit  of 
their  combined  efforts,  have  weakened  the  na- 
tional life  by  efforts  directed  toward  the  de- 
struction of  the  influence  of  each  other.  Men 
because  of  improper  relations  with  women  have 
provoked  antagonisms  from  people,  not  moved 
by  jealousy,  but  wedded  to  nobler  ideas  of  life. 


58  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

It  is  thus  that  a  race  of  moral  men  has  a  greater 
opportunity  to  develop  a  harmonious  working 
body  than  a  race  of  immoral  men,  in  that  a 
great  cause  of  friction,  clashes  and  heart-burn- 
ings over  women,  is  largely  eliminated.  It  is 
thus  also  that  morality  contributes  to  the  suc- 
cess of  co-operative  endeavor. 


We  have  laid  down  the  rules  for  the  making 
of  a  strong  collective  force,  and  we  would  now 
set  forth  the  uses  to  which  this  collective 
strength  must  be  applied  when  developed. 

In  view  of  accidents  and  the  improvident 
habits  of  many  people,  poor  orphans  may  be  re- 
garded as  an  assured  part  of  human  society 
under  existing  conditions.  Provisions  should 
be  made  to  take  care  of  these  orphans  to  pre- 
vent them  from  drifting  into  lives  of  crime  and 
for  the  purpose  of  utilizing  such  talents  as  they 
may  possess. 

There  will  be  youths  that  will  develop  crim- 
inal tendencies.  Eeform  schools  should  abound 
to  care  for  such. 

Husbands  will  be  found  dying  without  hav- 
ing made  ample  provisions  for  their  widows, 
and  institutions  of  a  fraternal  character  should 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  59 

be  conducted  efficiently  to  help  make  the  road 
of  life  as  easy  as  possible  for  the  destitute 
widows  of  those  who  placed  their  reliance  in 
such  institutions. 

There  will  appear  within  the  race  hordes  of 
ambitious  young  men  and  young  women  who 
are  anxious  to  distinguish  themselves  by  their 
good  works,  and  there  is  dire  need  of  institu- 
tions that  afford  outlets  for  the  aspirations- of 
such. 

The  Negro  race  stands  in  need  of  men  of  ed- 
ucation of  a  high  order  to  lead  properly  the 
people.  More  and  more  the  Negro  race  will 
be  expected  to  foster  institutions  of  learning 
that  will  furnish  this  intellectual  leadership  for 
the  race. 

Here  stand  five  great  needs  for  social  effi- 
ciency. They  will  not  vanish.  The  passing 
years  do  not  reduce  their  importance.  Their 
cry  unto  the  race  does  not  grow  less  insistent 
as  time  rolls  by. 

Beyond  a  doubt,  wrapped  in  the  minds  of 
neglected  orphans  will  be  powers  which,  devel- 
oped, would  add  strength  and  glory  to  the  race. 
Neglected  criminal  youths  will  grow  into  giants 
of  evil,  and  in  their  criminal  blindness  will  pull 
down  the  pillars  of  the  temple  upon  themselves 


60  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

and  upon  their  race.  The  struggles  of  widows 
to  maintain  themselves  in  conditions  of  comfort 
and  respectability  will  be  painfully  intense.  The 
flower  of  the  youth  of  the  race  will  be  allowed 
to  flounder  in  the  mire  of  bitter  despair.  Minds 
needed  for  the  uplift  of  the  race  will  be  allowed 
to  grope  in  the  blindness  of  ignorance  through 
the  lack  of  facilities  for  giving  them  the  light — 
these  conditions  are  absolutely  inevitable  un- 
less there  is  developed  within  the  race  social  ef- 
ficiency. We  plead  therefore  that  every  mem- 
ber of  the  Negro  race  shall  ponder  what  is  said 
herein  concerning  social  efficiency.  We  call 
upon  every  one  to  make  a  study  of  himself  and 
to  resolve  to  lay  aside  everything  in  himself 
that  will  not  contribute  toward  social  efficiency, 
that  will  cause  him  to  be  any  sort  of  a  weak 
spot  in  the  racial  aggregation. 

The  time  has  been  and  the  time  may  be  again 
when  nations  will  issue  calls  upon  their  citizens 
to  lay  their  all  upon  the  altar  for  the  sake  of 
country.  Wealth,  comforts,  home  ties,  life — 
all,  all  are  sometimes  demanded,  and  are  freely 
given.  But  our  call  here  for  the  sake  of  the 
Negro  race  is  not  unto  a  field  of  blood.  No  one 
is  asked  to  die  for  his  race.  But  what  is  asked 
is  that  men  shall  live  for  their  race,  that  they 
shall  so  live  that  they  can  and  will  work  to- 
gether faithfully,  successfully,  forever,  trans- 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  6l 

mitting  collective  power  from  one  generation 
to  another.  Unless  the  Negro  race  can  develop 
this  social  efficiency,  can  develop  the  virtues 
necessary  for  the  successful  working  together 
of  large  bodies  or  groups  of  people,  the  race  is 
doomed  to  a  life  of  continued  sorrow  and  shame. 


62  //t/e'«  tocmAnds;  of,  According  to  Law. 


The  Laws  of  Race  Adjustment 

At  the  present  time  the  Negroes  of  the  United 
States  are  outnumbered  by  other  races  in  this 
country  in  the  ratio  of  9  to  1,  approximately. 
Intelligence,  wealth  and  other  things  that  go  to 
constitute  power  are  vastly  superior  in  the 
rest  of  the  population  to  what  may  be  credited 
to  the  Negroes.  In  addition  to  the  gulf  of  dif- 
fering conditions  separating  the  Negroes  from 
the  rest  of  the  population,  they  are  of  widely 
different  race  with  physical  features  that 
prominently  mark  the  fact  of  difference  as  to 
race.  In  view  of  these  considerations,  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  to  the  Negroes  that  they 
enjoy  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  the  rest  of 
the  population.  The  peaceful  enjoyment  of  the 
comforts  of  life  and  the  privileges  incident  to 
citizenship  depend  almost  wholly  upon  the  es- 
teem in  which  the  race  is  held. 

Reliance  cannot  be  solely  placed  upon 
statutes,  constitutions  and  court  decisions. 
Statutes  can  be  changed,  sections  of  constitu- 
tions can  remain  unenforced,  and  courts  will 
be  found  to  be  very  slow  to  hold  governments, 


Lifers  bemanda;  or,  According  to  Law.  63 

state  or  national,  to  laws  that  are  not  sustained 
by  an  enlightened  public  sentiment. 

The  fact  that  the  welfare  of  the  Negro  race 
must  rely  upon  the  good  will  of  the  people  of 
the  nation,  is  illustrated  clearly  by  experiences 
since  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  The  first  re- 
liance of  the  Negroes  was  upon  the  military 
power  of  the  North.  Northern  soldiers  were 
quartered  in  the  South  to  give  protection  to 
them.  But  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  this 
sort  of  protection  could  not  be  of  long  duration, 
as  our  government  is  not  military  in  character. 
It  was  only  a  matter  of  time  before  the  soldiers 
were  to  be  withdrawn.  The  Negroes  therefore 
soon  found  that  such  a  reliance,  from  the  stand- 
point of  permanent  protection,  was  vain  indeed. 

As  a  means  of  defense,  the  Negroes  were 
given  the  ballot,  but  it  was  not  long  before  that, 
in  large  measure,  was  wrested  from  them.  The 
Negroes  allied  themselves  en  masse  with  one 
political  party,  and  pinned  their  faith  to  it,  but 
this  party  finally  grew  quiet  concerning  the  giv- 
ing of  political  privileges  to  the  race,  so  far 
as  an  active  forward  programme  is  concerned. 
This  party,  avowedly  friendly  toward  the  Ne- 
groes, was  given  control  of  Congress  for  a  long 
period  of  years,  but  failed  to  meet  their  ex- 
pectations. Men  who  protested  their  great 
friendship  for  the  Negro  race  have  been  ele- 


(54  I/i/e's  fiemands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

vated  to  the  presidency  of  the  United  States, 
but  no  marked  results  have  followed  from  this 
source.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  has  been  appealed  to,  time  and  again, 
but  in  some  way  has  left  matters  about  as  they 
were  before  the  appeals  were  made. 

This  brief  review  shows  the  Negroes  as  hav- 
ing relied  upon  the  military,  legislative,  execu- 
tive and  judicial  departments  of  the  national 
government,  but  largely  in  vain.  The  problems 
are  all  back  in  the  hands  of  the  people  for  ad- 
justment. It  cannot  be  insisted  too  strongly, 
therefore,  that  a  great  problem  before  the 
Negro  race  is  that  of  growing  up  in  the  esteem 
of  the  American  people,  of  winning  the  good 
will  of  their  neighbors. 

The  fact  that  the  logic  of  the  situation  de- 
mands that  the  Negroes  of  Almerica  have  as 
their  policy  the  cultivation  of  a  friendly  rela- 
tionship with  their  white  neighbors  wherever 
this  can  be  done  honorably  should  not  be  a 
source  of  discouragement  to  the  Negroes  of  the 
South,  as  no  limit  can  be  set  as  to  the  degree 
of  devoted  interest  the  heart  of  a  Southerner 
may  be  led  to  hold  for  a  worthy  member  of  the 
Negro  race,  or  for  the  race  itself.  There  ia 
scarcely  a  Negro  man  of  worth  in  all  of  the 
South  who  has  had  contact  with  white  people 
but  can  point  to  some  white  man  who  is  his 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  65 

devoted  and  unvarying  friend.  Some  of  the 
very  greatest  boons  that  have  ever  come  to  the 
Negro  race  in  the  United  States  have  come  out 
of  the  heart  of  some  Southerner.  When  in 
1818  the  State  of  Illinois  was  admitted  to  the 
Union  an  effort  was  made  to  introduce  slavery 
by  law  into  that  State.  A  majority  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  state  at  the  time  were  Southern 
people,  but  the  movement  to  give  legal  recog- 
nition to  slavery  was  defeated,  the  Governor, 
Edward  Coles,  a  Southerner,  leading  the  fight 
against  its  recognition.  The  first  man  ever 
nominated  for  the  presidency  of  the  United 
States  on  a  platform  of  opposition  to  slavery 
was  a  Southerner,  James  G.  Birney,  who  was 
born  in  Kentucky  and  later  lived  in  the  state 
of  Alabama.  The  first  nominee  of  the  repub- 
lican party  for  the  presidency  of  the  United 
States  was  a  Southerner,  John  C.  Fremont,  of 
California,  who  was  born  in  Savannah,  Ga. 
The  man  who  issued  the  emancipation  procla- 
mation, Abraham  Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  was  a 
Southerner,  born  in  Virginia.  The  opinion  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
handed  down  upholding  the  validity  of  the  fif- 
teenth amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  which  amendment  has  been  re- 
garded as  the  bulwark  of  the  Negro's  citizen- 
ship, was  prepared  and  delivered  by  a  South- 


66  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

erner,  an  ex-confederate  soldier,  Chief  Justice 
White  of  Louisiana. 

Throughout  the  entire  South  white  men  in 
town  and  city  councils,  in  legislatures,  and 
upon  boards  of  education  annually  vote 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  more  for 
Negro  education  than  would  be  thus  applied  if 
money  derived  from  the  taxing  of  Negro  prop- 
erty only  were  used  for  this  purpose.  It  is  true 
that  so  long  as  the  Negro  is  industrious  he 
adds  to  the  wealth  of  the  South,  and  is,  in 
equity,  entitled  to  the  education  of  his  children 
out  of  it,  whether  the  wealth  created  by  his 
labor  is  listed  in  his  name  or  not,  but  what  we 
comment  upon  in  this  connection  is  the  will- 
ingness of  Southern  white  men  to  take  this 
view  of  the  matter. 

The  career  of  the  late  Booker  T.  Washing- 
ton was  a  striking  illustration  to  all  the  world 
of  the  possibilities  of  the  hearts  of  Southern 
white  people  toward  acceptable  members  of  the 
Negro  race.  He  recognized  their  fundamental 
goodness  of  heart,  always  appealed  to  it,  and 
throughout  his  life  and  in  his  death  he  received 
overwhelming  testimony  of  their  respect  and 
good  will.  There  is  therefore,  no  ground  for 
despair  over  the  fact  that  in  the  last  analysis 
the  sentiment  of  the  people  very  largely  will 
affect  the  status  of  the  Negro  race.  The  heart 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  67 

of  the  white  South  is  splendid  soil  upon  which 
a  great  tree  of  friendship  for  the  Negro  race 
can  be  grown. 

In  the  South  a  golden  opportunity  knocks  at 
the  door  of  the  Negro  race,  because  so  many  of 
its  members  are  engaged  in  domestic  service  in 
the  homes  of  white  people.  If  the  Negroes  in 
the  homes  of  the  white  people  of  the  South  are 
moral,  industrious,  thoroughly  efficient  and 
sensible,  they  will  make  a  good  impression  for 
the  race.  The  Negro  who  is  engaged  in  service 
among  the  white  people  should  regard  himself 
or  herself  in  the  light  of  a  keyhole  through 
which  others  feel  that  they  are  looking  into  the 
real  inner  life  of  the  race. 

An  example  of  what  a  true  man  can  do  for  his 
own  race  while  serving  another  race  is  found 
in  the  labors  of  Nehemiah,  the  Jew.  He  was 
cup-bearer  to  the  king.  His  life  was  circum- 
spect. He  won  the  full  confidence  of  the  man 
he  served.  The  faith  which  the  king  had  in 
him,  and  the  affection  that  accompanied  that 
faith,  enabled  Nehemiah  to  rebuild  the  walls  of 
his  native  city,  Jerusalem,  at  that  time  a  con- 
quered province. 

The  forces  that  are  at  work  for  the  advance- 
ment of  the  Negro  race  hardly  can  find  a  more 
important  field  than  that  of  trying  to  aid  the 
Negroes  who  are  to  serve,  to  do  their  work  well, 


Life's  ttemandsj  of,  According  to 


and  to  demean  themselves  properly.  Just  as 
a  country  takes  great  pains  to  train  its  diplo- 
mats for  service  in  foreign  lands,  leading  Negro 
men  and  women  should  show  a  like  interest  in 
increasing  the  efficiency  of  the  Negroes  who  are 
to  serve  the  white  people  and  help  shape  their 
attitude  toward  the  Negro  race. 

It  is  said  that  on  one  occasion  the  president 
of  one  of  the  great  Northern  colleges  for  young 
women  visited  the  South  and  was  asked  to  ad- 
dress one  of  the  best  Negro  colleges  in  this  sec- 
tion. His  discourse  was  said  to  be  concerning 
the  efficiency  of  the  Negro  servant  class  in  the 
South.  The  students  in  this  particular  school 
were  all  planning  for  careers  more  profitable 
than  that  of  domestic  service,  and  for  that  rea- 
son may  have  regarded  the  talk  as  being  out 
of  place.  How  lacking  in  thought  is  such  an  at- 
titude. The  opinion  of  the  Negro  race,  fash- 
ioned by  the  servant  class,  will  have  an  effect 
upon  the  destinies  of  all.  Whatever  one's  sta- 
tion in  life  or  field  of  labor,  let  there  be  deep 
concern  about  the  Negro  servant. 

Domestic  service  schools  should  be  conducted 
in  every  city,  and  those  who  know  the  ways  of 
service  that  are  correct  should  see  that  others 
also  know.  The  women  of  the  Negro  race  who, 
in  the  cities,  are  forming  themselves  into  clubs, 
would  do  well  to  direct  the  activities  of  the  clubs 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  69 

toward  this  matter.  Homes  for  working  girls 
should  be  founded  into  which  the  young  women 
who  are-  to  serve  should  be  gathered  and  given 
the  training  needed  to  enable  them  to  play  well 
their  part. 

The  complaint  has  been  made  that  the  white 
people  of  the  South  are  not  coming  in  contact 
with  the  better  class  of  Negroes.  In  view  of  the 
social  separation  of  the  two  races,  the  best  way 
to  get  the  wliite  people  in  touch  with  Negroes 
who  can  make  a  better  impression  for  the  race, 
is  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  such  Negroes  as 
they  do  come  in  contact  with. 

In  the  course  of  the  life  of  a  race  certain 
traits  of  that  race  become  more  marked  than 
others.  These  traits  become  a  source  of  great 
pride  to  the  race  and  come  to  be  regarded 
as  the  very  breath  of  life  by  that  race.  If 
another  race  is  to  be  judged,  the  cardinal 
virtues  of  the  race  sitting  in  judgment  will  be 
used  as  the  points  at  which  measurements  are 
to  be  made.  The  failure  of  another  race  to 
measure  up  well  at  the  points  of  comparison 
chosen  will  excite  deeper  disgust  than  would 
failures  along  some  other  lines.  It  is  well  then 
for  the  Negro  race  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  white 
race  by  the  law  of  its  being  must  pass  judgment 
upon  the  Negro  race  at  those  points  which  it 
deems  vital  in  its  own  life.  For  example  if  the 


70  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

white  race  has  cultivated  the  virtues  of  prompt- 
ness, truthfulness,  reliability,  thoroughness  and 
persistence  to  the  point  where  they  seem  to  be 
a  second  nature,  and  if  at  these  very  points  the 
Negroes  on  the  whole  are  lacking,  it  is  apparent 
that  they  cannot  stand  very  high  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  whites,  despite  other  virtues  which 
they  may  possess.  It  is  therefore  urged  with 
all  the  force  at  our  command  that  the  Negroes 
in  all  of  their  relations  with  the  white  people 
shall  take  pains  to  come  up  fully  to  the  stand- 
ards of  that  race. 

Keeping  in  mind  these  things,  we  now  shall 
name  the  things  that  will  pave  the  way  for  ris- 
ing in  the  esteem  of  others.  The  qualities  which 
we  set  forth  as  necessary  for  the  rising  of  in- 
dividuals and  those  which  we  named  as  consti- 
tuting the  foundation  stones  for  rising  as  a 
race,  are  now  cited  again  as  necessary  for  rising 
in  the  esteem  of  others.  In  addition  to  those 
things  named,  which  in  safety  cannot  be  ignored, 
we  wish  now  to  discuss  other  needed  virtues. 

There  are  two  directions  in  which  rising  in 
the  esteem  of  others  should  be  considered.  Let 
us  consider  how,  as  individuals,  to  rise  in  the 
esteem  of  others,  and  how  to  rise  in  their  es- 
teem as  a  race. 

Thoughtfulness  of  Others. 

He  who  would  have  the  esteem  of  others  must 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  71 

give  careful  thought  to  others,  must  study  their 
traits,  tastes,  opinions,  and  must  try  to  under- 
stand their  viewpoint,  the  angle  from  which  they 
are  looking  at  things. 

Persons  who  are  in  the  employ  of  others 
should  take  pains  to  see  to  it  that  their  interest 
is  not  confined  to  the  mere  drawing  of  pay.  A 
genuine  interest  in  the  service  rendered  will,  as 
a  rule,  draw  appreciation  in  return.  Acts  of 
thoughtfulness  extending  beyond  the  range  of 
duties  definitely  assigned  will  not  long  pass 
without  their  reward.  Little  acts  of  kindness 
thus  performed  may  not  involve  much  labor  but 
will  bring  profitable  dividends  in  the  way  of  in- 
creased esteem. 

Cleanliness. 

The  Anglo-Saxon  race  is  a  great  believer  in 
the  bath,  in  the  power  of  soap  and  water.  The 
bath  removes  impurities  from  the  body,  invig- 
orates the  system,  and  contributes  to  the  vigor 
and  alertness  of  the  mind.  It  reduces  the 
strength  of  the  natural  odors  of  the  body,  and 
contributes  to  the  pleasure  of  social  intercourse. 
The  bath  counts  for  so  much  in  the  life  of  the 
white  people  that  they  have  a  very  poor  opinion 
of  all  who  do  not  believe  therein. 

Just  as  an  individual  is  more  sensitive  to  the 
odors  emanating  from  the  flesh  and  clothing  of 
others  than  to  those  of  his  own  body  and  cloth 


72  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

ing,  thus  it  is  that  one  race  can  detect  more 
readily  the  odors  of  the  bodies  of  members  of 
another  race  than  they  can  those  of  the  bodies 
of  members  of  their  own  race.  There  is  what 
the  white  peole  term  the  "Negro  odor."  For 
a  long  time  they  supposed  themselves  to  be 
free  from  a  racial  odor,  but  the  Japanese  claim 
that  the  white  people  have  an  odor,  but  state 
that  they  themselves  are  odorless.  Since  the 
white  people  are  more  sensitive  to  possible  odors 
from  Negro  bodies  than  the  Negroes  under  the 
circumstances  are  able  to  be,  the  latter  should 
make  it  a  point  to  give  special  attention  to  the 
question  of  eliminating  or  reducing  to  a  min- 
imum the  odors  of  the  body.  Cleanliness  is  a 
great  thing  in  itself,  but  it  has  a  double  value 
when  it  contributes  to  the  spirit  of  good  will 
between  two  races  living  side  by  side  and  having 
constant  business  intercourse  with  each  other. 

As  a  matter  of  simple  justice,  it  should  be 
stated  here  that  there  are  Negroes  by  the  thou- 
sands who  bathe  frequently,  who,  in  every  way, 
practice  cleanliness.  Yet  if  there  are  large  num- 
bers of  others  who  are  lacking  in  the  virtue  of 
cleanliness,  and  pass  in  and  out  among  their 
white  neighbors  in  such  a  condition,  they  can 
mould  a  sentiment  against  the  race  as  a  whole, 
which  sentiment  each  individual  will  have  the 
task  of  overcoming  for  himself  in  his  own  case. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  73 

The  leaders  of  the  Negro  race  should  set  up 
as  one  of  their  standards  the  making  of  a 
thoroughly  clean  and  odorless  race  throughout 
its  entire  ranks,  as  far  as  possible.  Of  course, 
it  is  to  be  borne  in  mind  that  many  of  the 
Negroes  are  poor,  and  lack  proper  bathing 
facilities,  and  spend  long  hours  in  labor,  going 
to  work  early,  and  returning  late,  yet  in  spite 
of  all  this,  time  should  be  found  for  the  daily 
bath.  It  is  said  that  the  English  soldiers  fight- 
ing in  France  and  Belgium  daily  sought  streams 
in  which  they  might  bathe.  Regardless  of  the 
obstacles  in  the  way,  a  daily  bath  should  be 
taken  by  every  member  of  every  Negro  family. 
Tidiness. 

The  appearance  of  a  race  counts  for  a  great 
deal.  A  good  appearance  creates  a  presump- 
tion in  one 's  favor,  whereas  an  untidy  appear- 
ance creates  a  sort  of  feeling  against  the  un- 
tidy one.  When  we  speak  of  tidiness  we  do  not 
refer  to  gaudiness  of  dress,  which  is  likewise 
very  offensive,  but  to  the  manner  in  which  one's 
clothes  are  put  on  and  kept,  and  one's  appear- 
ance in  general  is  looked  after.  Clothes,  to  fit, 
should  be  worn,  rents  in  clothes  should  be 
mended  by  means  of  patches  that  are  neat  and 
appropriate  in  character,  the  hair  should  be 
combed,  the  shoes  tied,  and  all  items  of  dress 
ghould  be  properly  adjusted.  This  should  be 


74  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

practiced  in  public,  in  the  neighborhood  and  in 
the  home.  Whenever  possible  clothes  purely 
for  working  purposes  should  be  used  while  en- 
gaged in  labor,  to  be  laid  aside  for  neater  and 
cleaner  garments  to  be  worn  to  and  from  work. 

Good  Taste. 

There  are  but  few  things,  perhaps,  that 
create  a  feeling  of  distance  like  wretched  taste 
in  dressing.  When  one  looks  upon  another 
abominably  dressed  and  yet  thinking  that  he  is 
finely  dressed,  it  raises  the  question  as  to  what 
sort  of  a  person  the  strange  dresser  can  pos- 
sibly be.  Take  note  of  the  dress  of  refined  peo- 
ple. AVoid  loud,  garish  colors.  Steer  clear  of 
over-ornamentation. 

It  may  seem  a  minor  matter,  yet  we  are  quite 
sure  good  taste  and  a  display  of  common  sense 
in  dressing  will  go  a  long  way  toward  develop- 
ing for  the  race  a  more  kindly  feeling.  Good 
taste  should  be  cultivated  throughout  the  whole 
race.  Those  who  have  acquired  it  should  in 
some  way  seek  to  impart  it  to  others. 

The  Suppression  of  Loudness. 
Loud  guffaws,  loud  conversations  in  public 
places,  loud  talking  on  the  streets  and  in  con- 
veyances, and  in  homes,  the  loud  calling  of  per- 
sons, the  wild,  loud  night  orgies  are  things  that 
we  come  across  at  times  which  mould  a  terribly 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  75 

bad  sentiment  against  the  Negro  race.  The 
persons  who  thus  act  seem  to  forget  that  others 
have  ears  and  may  hear  but  not  relish  what  is 
going  on.  Utterly  oblivious  of  their  neighbors, 
they  proceed  with  their  noises. 

It  is  held  by  some  that  the  Negro  race  is  a 
younger  race  than  the  white  race,  that  its  spirit 
is  now  passing  through  stages  that  have  been 
passed  by  the  white  race.  The  Negro  race  is 
said  to  be  in  its  vocal  period,  the  period  of 
song  and  noise,  whereas  the  white  race  is  said 
to  have  advanced  out  of  the  vocal  stage.  In 
coming  in  contact  with  white  people,  Negroes 
should  bear  in  mind  that  noise  that  is  not  of- 
fensive at  all  to  themselves  may  be  thoroughly 
offensive  to  those  older  in  spirit  who  are 
forced  to  endure  it.  This  difference  should  be 
kept  ever  in  mind,  thus  removing  a  frequent 
cause  of  irritation.  The  breaking  up  of  the 
loudness  of  the  Negro  race  is  one  of  its  greatest 
needs. 

Tidiness  With  Reference  to  Homes. 

Like  the  body,  the  home,  both  within  and 
without,  should  be  tidily  kept.  The  absence  of 
a  paling  here  and  there,  the  gate  off  of  the 
hinges,  window  panes  broken,  and  their  places 
filled  with  pillows  or  bundles  of  rags,  trash  and 
junk  lying  around  the  yard,  the  house  un- 


76  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

painted,  the  week's  washing  stretched  on  a  line 
on  the  front  porch — these  are  too  often  the 
characteristics  of  homes  to  be  found  among  our 
people.  A  home  may  be  humble,  yet  it  can  be 
kept  tidily.  There  should  be  a  movement  within 
the  race  of  widespread  proportions  looking  to- 
ward the  making  of  houses  and  premises  be- 
longing to  our  people  tidy. 

Kindliness. 

Whatever  the  situation,  let  the  Negro's  kind^ 
ness  of  heart  shine.  Be  kind  to  children,  kind 
to  women,  courteous  to  men,  polite  at  all  times, 
but  not  of  the  cringing,  fawning  kind,  which 
really  brings  contempt,  if  not  disgust.  The 
kindness  of  the  Negro  women  to  the  children  of 
the  white  people  of  the  South  before  the  Civil 
War  is  drawing  a  dividend  of  blessings  for  the 
Negro  race  even  until  now. 

Language. 

Inability  to  use  properly  the  language  that 
we  converse  in  will  do  much  to  hold  down  es- 
teem. Each  individual  should  be  a  careful  ob- 
server of  speech,  should  take  note  of  the  lan- 
guage of  those  who  know,  and  should  strive  to 
speak  as  correctly  as  anyone.  But  to  speak 
correctly  one  must  be  guided.  Unguided  at- 
tempts to  speak  properly  only  serve  to  make 
bad  matters  worse.  Let  each  person  whose  edu- 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  77 

cation  is  limited  seek  help  in  the  matter  of 
speech.  The  brogue  should  be  thrown  away. 
Carelessness  in  calling  words  should  cease.  The 
tendency  to  call  a  word  anything  that  sounds 
like  it  should  be  laid  aside,  and  only  such  words 
should  be  used  as  one  fully  knows  can  be  called 
correctly. 

The  qualities  which  we  have  cited  latterly  are 
needed  under  any  circumstances,  but  their  ab- 
sence is  doubly  damaging  where  there  is  an- 
other race  involved. 

Having  discussed  how  to  rise  in  the  esteem 
of  others  as  individuals,  we  shall  now  consider 
the  qualities  needed  to  rise  in  the  esteem  of 
others  as  a  race. 

The  Exhibition  of  Social  Efficiency. 

The  Negroes  should  bear  well  in  mind  the 
fact  that  the  world  has  passed  into  an  era  in 
which  social  efficiency,  and  not  the  mere  ques- 
tion of  human  rights,  is  the  test  applied.  Many 
of  the  privileges  which  they  now  enjoy  came  to 
them  at  a  time  and  during  a  period  when  great 
importance  was  attached  to  what  were  called 
the  rights  of  men.  The  world  has  come  to  re- 
gard a  man  as  having  no  rights  beyond  those 
which  he  can  exercise  with  efficiency.  To  il- 
lustrate the  point  which  we  seek  to  make  we  cite 
the  case  of  the  Philippine  Islands  now  under 
the  control  of  the  United  States.  In  consider- 


78  Life's  Demands;  of,  According  to  Law. 

ing  the  question  of  granting  to  them  their  in- 
dependence the  question  of  their  right  to  be  free 
is  being  held  subject  to  the  other  question  as 
to  whether  they  are  prepared  to  exercise  prop- 
erly their  freedom.  It  is  being  held  more  and 
more  that  power  should  be  put  only  into  the 
hands  of  those  who  are  efficient,  regardless  of 
questions  of  abstract  right. 

Another  illustration  of  the  point  here  at  is- 
sue is  the  manner  in  which  the  world  is  ap- 
proaching the  question  of  woman's  suffrage. 
The  debate  is  not  revolving  around  the  question 
as  to  whether  woman,  because  of  her  presence 
in  the  human  family,  is  entitled  to  the  right  of 
suffrage,  but  the  matter  is  being  made  to  hinge 
largely  upon  the  question  as  to  whether  she  will 
or  will  not  add  to  the  excellence  of  government 
by  her  presence.  It  is  largely  a  question  of  ef- 
ficiency, not  of  abstract  right.  If  the  world 
comes  to  the  conclusion  that  it  will  help  the 
world  for  women  to  vote,  they  will  be  allowed 
to  vote.  On  the  other  hand,  if  their  presence  as 
a  voting  power  is  regarded  as  a  menace  to  the 
welfare  of  mankind,  the  vote  will  be  withheld 
in  all  likelihood,  even  if  woman's  abstract  right 
to  the  suffrage  is  not  denied. 

This  represents  the  predominant  thought  of 
the  age  in  which  we  live,  the  epoch  into  which 
we  have  passed.  If  the  Negroes  are  to  make  any 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  7D 

advances  in  this  epoch,  it  is  to  be  by  the  process 
of  demonstrated  efficiency.  In  all  of  their  ac- 
tivities they  should  strive  for  the  highest  de- 
gree of  efficiency.  Whatever  is  to  be  done 
should  be  done  well.  The  world  is  not  going  to 
invite  its  Negroes  to  higher  ground  solely  be- 
cause of  any  discussion  of  rights,  however 
plausible  in  theory,  but  only  over  the  highways 
of  demonstrated  efficiency. 

Nor  is  the  Negro  going  to  be  considered  pure- 
ly upon  the  ground  of  his  ability  or  achieve- 
ments as  an  individual.  This  is  pre-eminently 
the  age  of  mass-movement,  the  age  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  things  through  the  gripping 
and  welding  of  thousands  and  millions  of  men. 
For  this  reason  the  Negro  is  going  to  be  viewed 
according  to  his  social  capacities,  or,  in  other 
words,  according  as  he  is  good  material  in 
every  way  for  the  formation  of  co-operative 
movements.  Rabbits,  wolves,  lions  and  horses 
have  no  social  capacities,  have  no  qualities  that 
permit  effective  co-operation.  Bees  and  ants 
have.  Butterflies  are  beautiful,  and  grasshop- 
pers are  comparatively  harmless,  yet  the  bees 
and  ants  do  not  desire  that  they  form  a  part  of 
their  little  governments,  because  they  lack  the 
qualities  needed  for  co-operative  life.  The  but- 
terflies and  the  grasshoppers  are  not  system- 
atic toilers,  and  they  do  not  save,  qualities 


80  Life't  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

needed  in  the  kingdoms  of  ants  and  bees.  Be- 
fore the  Negroes  are  freely  absorbed  into  the 
governmental  structure,  they  will  be  asked  for 
evidence  that  they  have  acquired,  and  that  their 
natures  are  permeated  with,  the  great  qualities 
needed  for  co-operative  work.  Within  spheres 
left  for  them,  even  under  present  conditions,  the 
Negroes  have  ample  room  to  develop  and  mani- 
fest the  co-operative  faculty.  The  religious  and 
fraternal  organizations  offer  a  broad  scope  for 
their  powers,  and  the  business  world  is  an  in- 
viting field.  It  is  hoped  that  the  true  states- 
manship within  the  race  may  make  itself  felt 
mightily  in  these  fields. 

A  great  handicap  to  the  development  of  so- 
cial efficiency  is  a  tendency  in  the  Negro  race 
to  divide,  and  subdivide,  to  a  degree  wholly  un- 
necessary, and  harmful.  This  tendency  is  mani- 
fested in  almost  all  of  the  activities  in  the  life 
of  the  race.  There  are  many  religious  denomina- 
tions within  the  race  in  which  the  greatest 
points  of  difference  seem  to  be  their  respective 
names.  Essentially  one  in  faith,  one  in  practice, 
one  in  all  things  fundamental,  they  yet  remain 
apart,  causing  an  unnecessary  duplication  of 
operating  machinery  and  expenses.  Within  the 
largest  of  the  religious  denominations  of  the 
race  there  is  often  a  needless  multiplying  of 
churches,  associations  and  other  agencies  for 


Life't  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  £i 

service  in  the  same  territory  to  such  an  extent 
that  all  are  crippled  and  none  can  render  ef- 
ficient service.  Alnd  what  is  here  said  of  religi- 
ous denominations  is  likewise  true  of  a  great 
majority  of  fraternal  organizations.  If  an  ex- 
pert on  social  efficiency  should  take  the  time  to 
observe  the  needless  duplication  of  agencies 
and  count  up  the  wholly  unnecessary  cost,  the 
figures  would  be  startling. 

There  should  arise  within  the  Negro  race 
men  with  the  true  spirit  of  statesmanship ;  men 
with  unifying  tendencies ;  men  able  to  sink  per- 
sonal ambitions  out  of  sight;  men  who  will  set 
for  themselves  the  task  of  blending  kindred 
denominations,  of  abolishing  unnecessary  divi- 
sions everywhere,  thus  eliminating  a  great 
waste  of  energy  and  money,  and  preventing  a 
world  of  needless  clashing  of  interests. 

What  seems  to  be  race  prejudice  may,  in 
some  instances,  be  found  to  be  the  instinct  of 
self-preservation  present  in  the  social  mind, 
making  it  difficult  to  add  to  the  directing  power 
of  the  group,  traits  and  tendencies  that  would 
make  against  social  efficiency. 

If  a  chemist  is  trying  to  secure  a  certain  com- 
pound he  wishes  no  element  that  does  not  blend 
into  what  he  is  making.  The  great  social  mind, 
the  cosmic  forces,  the  influence  running  through 
all  of  the  affairs  of  men,  when  constructing  a 


82  Life't  Demands;  or,  According  to  tart. 

group  or  nation  where  efficiency  as  a  group  is 
demanded,  like  the  chemist,  does  not  desire  to 
have  present  as  an  important  factor  in  that 
group  any  element  whose  qualities,  or  lack  of 
qualities,  will  make  against  its  effectiveness  as 
a  group* 

Interest  in  the  Problems  of  Others. 
There  are  things  which  vitally  concern  the 
white  people  of  America  and  engage  their 
deepest  thought.  The  Negroes  should  give  close 
attention  to  these  problems,  should  keep  abreast 
of  all  the  great  movements  in  which  the 
white  people  are  engaged.  If  the  Negroes  prove 
to  be  indifferent  toward  matters  that  others 
consider  vital,  or  if  through  half-study  they 
take  the  wrong  side  of  questions,  or  if  they,  for 
any  reason,  trample  under  foot  that  which  the 
whites  regard  as  serious,  and  perhaps  sacred, 
such  a  course  will  work  greatly  toward  the 
alienation  of  the  races.  On  the  other  hand,  if 
the  Negroes  will  manifest  intelligent  concern  in 
the  problems  that  engage  the  attention  of  the 
white  people,  they  will  the  more  readily  procure 
the  sympathetic  consideration  of  their  own 
problems  by  the  white  people. 

Development  of  Literature. 
It  will  help  the  Negroes  to  be  able  to  talk  to 
the  white  people  in  a  way  to  fully  reveal  the 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Lav).  83 

soul  of  the  race.  This  is  best  done  through 
literature.  This,  then,  should  be  the  Negro's 
voice,  acquainting  the  white  world  with  his  con- 
dition, his  real  aspirations,  his  spiritual  yearn- 
ings. Negro  literature  should  be  developed  as 
a  racial  voice,  with  the  power  to  reach  the 
hearts  of  the  white  people.  The  Negro  race 
should  develop  an  ear,  a  crave  for  literature 
that  it  may  read  and  imbibe  whatever  message 
the  soul  of  the  white  race  has  for  it. 

By  intelligently  speaking  to  the  white  race 
through  literature,  and  understandingly  hear- 
ing from  it  through  a  like  medium,  the  esteem 
in  which  the  race  is  held  will  be  materially  ad- 
vanced. Therefore  let  the  entire  race  rally 
around  the  printed  page. 

The  Reaching  of  the  People. 

The  world  has  entered  upon  an  era  of  gov- 
ernment by  public  sentiment.  Kings  and  courts, 
presidents  and  law-makers  no  longer  register 
their  own  will,  but  reflect  the  sentiment  of  the 
people.  The  cause  of  the  Negroes  will  be  ad- 
vanced in  proportion  as  they  direct  their  at- 
tention more  and  more  to  the  people  as  the 
source  of  power,  and  strive  to  have  the  friend- 
ship and  backing  of  the  people.  The  courts, 
law-makers  and  executive  officers  of  the  land 
will  fall  in  line.  Let  the  Negroes  live  such  livens 


84  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

and  foster  such  conceptions  among  the  people 
as  to  win  their  support,  and  all  will  be  well. 
Civic  Honesty. 

A  ballot  is  not  a  man's  personal  property.  It 
is  something  handed  to  him  by  society  to  be 
held  in  trust  for  its  good.  Whenever  a  man 
gets  to  the  point  where  he  thinks  that  a  ballot 
is  his  to  use  simply  for  his  own  benefit  he  is 
unfit  to  hold  it.  There  should  be  instilled  in 
every  Negro  the  fact  that  a  ballot  is  a  sacred 
trust,  and  that  the  selling  thereof  is  an  ab- 
ominable offense. 

The  ballot  should  be  used  to  register  an  hon- 
est conviction,  unswayed  by  prejudice,  and  free 
from  the  curse  and  blight  of  bribery.  No  mat- 
ter what  may  be  a  man's  needs,  nor  what  his 
views,  under  no  circumstances  should  he  take 
as  much  as  a  penny  from  a  friend  or  foe  for  a 
vote.  The  misuse  of  the  ballot  should  be  held 
up  constantly  as  a  heinous  sin.  The  Sunday 
school  teachers,  the  preachers,  the  public  school 
teachers,  those  in  charge  of  academies  and  col- 
leges, the  lodges  and  women's  clubs,  and  the 
young  women  in  social  circles  should  all  make 
it  a  point  to  hammer  away  concerning  the 
iniquity  of  bribery  in  the  matter  of  voting.  Even 
when  and  where  there  seems  no  immediate 
cause  for  the  instruction,  keep  it  up. 

There  are  honest  men  in  the  Negro  race — as 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  85 

honest  as  the  world  affords.  This  class  must 
carry  the  torch  of  honesty  into  all  the  dark 
corners,  and  seek  to  clean  out  the  life  of  the 
race  everywhere  in  this  matter. 
The  Observance  of  the  Proper  Attitude  Toward 
Criminal  Life. 

Criminal  Negroes  who  creep  out  of  the  life  of 
the  Negro  race,  strike  foul  blows  at  members 
of  the  white  race  and  drop  back  into  the  life  of 
the  race  with  blood-stained  hands  are  indeed 
dreadful  enemies  of  their  own  race.  The  thought 
at  once  arises  in  the  minds  of  the  white  people 
that  it  was  out  of  the  Negro  race-life  that  the 
criminal  came  and  that  back  into  that  life  he 
returned  in  the  hope  of  hiding.  What  were  the 
sins  of  omission  that  caused  the  production  of 
the  criminal  ?  What  function  of  the  life  of  the 
race  were  not  working  adequately  to  allow  him 
to  flourish?  How  much  of  complicity  is  there 
connected  with  the  disappearance  of  criminals 
within  the  ranks  of  the  race?  These  are  ques- 
tions that  will  arise  in  the  minds  of  the  white 
people. 

On  the  part  of  the  Negroes  there  should 
exist  no  measure  of  sympathy  of  the  kind  that 
leads  to  the  shielding  from  justice  of  the  Negro 
criminal.  Eeady  aid  should  be  given  to  attempts 
to  apprehend  the  perpetrators  of  crimes  when 
being  made  to  deal  with  them  according  to  the 


86  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

provisions  of  the  law.  The  life  of  the  Negro 
race  must  be  free  from  the  taint  of  being  a 
willing  shelter  for  the  wrong  doer. 

But  aid  in  the  work  of  detecting  criminals  and 
surrendering  them  to  the  demands  of  justice  is 
not  the  full  measure  of  the  duty  of  the  Negro 
race  by  any  means.  All  of  the  influences 
within  the  race  should  engage  in  the  work  of 
bringing  about  such  conditions  as  will  prevent 
the  development  of  criminals.  This  in  all  races 
is  a  difficult  thing  to  do,  yet  it  should  be  the 
ideal  toward  which  the  Negro  race  is  to  travel. 
Such  an  attitude  plainly  seen  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Negro  race  will  give  greater  force  to  the  uni- 
versal desire  of  the  race  that  its  criminal  ele- 
ment be  dealt  with  in  keeping  with  the  laws  of 
the  land.  It  is  probably  true  that  'the  thought 
that  the  community  of  Negroes  is  in  sympathy 
with  Negro  criminals  lies  back  of  the  ruthless 
manner  in  which  criminals  sometimes  are 
sought,  resulting  in  the  death  of  innocent  peo- 
ple and  the  illegal  execution  of  the  accused.  A 
transparent  attitude  in  favor  of  law  and  order 
should  serve  to  soften  such  conditions. 

Of  course  it  must  be  realized  that  the  mak- 
ing of  the  courts  of  the  land  real  temples  of 
justice,  without  regard  to  race  or  color,  is  nec- 
essary to  promote  the  full  development  every- 
where in  the  life  of  the  race  of  the  spirit  of  co- 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  87 

operation  with  those  seeking  to  ferret  out  crim- 
inals. Therefore  let  each  man  work  for  justice 
to  the  criminal  as  well  as  for  his  detection  and 
punishment.  A  wholesome  attitude  like  this  on 
the  part  of  the  Negroes  will  challenge  the  ad- 
miration and  enlist  the  support  of  white  people 
of  a  type  able  to  contribute  greatly  to  the  peace 
and  well-being  of  the  race. 

The  Development  of  the  Spirit  of  Reform. 

It  is  of  course  apparent  to  even  the  most 
casual  observer  that  there  are  many  Negroes 
that  have  correct  notions  and  practices,  whose 
personal  behavior  is  satisfactory  to  the  most 
exacting.  But  this  prepared  element  must  not 
be  satisfied  with  the  mere  fact  of  its  own  excel- 
lence, must  not  adopt  the  attitude  of  Cain,  who 
sneeringly  asked  as  to  whether  he  was  his 
brother's  keeper.  There  should  exist  in  the 
bosoms  of  the  qualified  Negroes  a  deep  sense 
of  responsibility  for  the  unqualified.  It  must 
not  be  felt  that  one's  duty  is  discharged  when 
he  is  able  to  point  out  a  vast  difference  between 
himself  and  his  offending  fellowman.  There 
should  be  in  him  the  spirit  of  reform.  Instead 
of  being  content  merely  to  point  to  a  wide  gulf 
showing  the  yawning  distance  between  him- 
self and  an  erring  one,  he  should  put  forth 
every  effort  to  build  a  bridge  over  which  the 


88  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

erring  one  may  come  to  his  degree  of  develop- 
ment. Oh,  for  the  existence  of  an  active  spirit 
of  reform,  a  firm  determination  on  the  part  of 
the  prepared  to  have  all  to  become  ultimately 
even  as  they  are. 

For  example,  if  one  is  riding  in  a  public  con- 
veyance and  a  fellow  Negro  passenger  is  talk- 
ing in  an  unduly  loud  tone  of  voice,  and  con- 
cerning matters  of  no  interest  to  the  general 
public  present,  let  the  one  who  realizes  the  value 
of  a  quiet  demeanor  in  public  places  go  to  such 
an  offender  in  an  unostentatious  manner,  and 
in  quietness  seek  to  influence  him  to  adopt  a 
more  subdued  tone  of  voice.  Now  and  then 
one 's  feelings  may  be  ruffled  by  doing  this,  but 
there  should  be  a  willingness  to  pay  that  much 
as  a  price  for  a  reform  that  would  prevent  the 
Negro  race  from  suffering  so  greatly  in  public 
esteem  because  of  this  loud  talking  in  public 
places. 

A  like  interest  should  be  manifested  in  hav- 
ing persons  who  make  noises  in  their  homes  to 
exhibit  a  due  regard  for  their  neighbors.  Gen- 
tle but  persistent  and  tactful  efforts  should  be 
put  forth  to  make  the  residences  inhabited  by 
all  Negroes  as  quiet  as  those  occupied  by  the 
most  refined  of  any  race.  The  children  of  Ne- 
gro residences  should  be  taught  to  play  without 
the  boisterous  screaming  that  sometimes  is 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  89 

heard.  It  is  to  be  admitted  that  this  is  a  deli- 
cate task,  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  it 
is  one  of  great  importance,  as  a  terrible  loss 
has  been  sustained  by  any  one  who  grows  to 
be  regarded  as  an  undesirable  neighbor. 

In  an  adroit  and  inoffensive  manner  efforts 
should  be  put  forth  on  the  part  of  tidy  home- 
keepers  to  influence  all  others  to  be  likewise. 
Every  home  should  feel  that  it  owes  a  neat  and 
finished  appearance  to  the  neighborhood. 
There  must  not  exist  the  feeling  that  if  one  is 
content  with  his  own  home,  his  neighbors  are 
not  to  be  considered.  There  are  those  who  like 
to  live,  not  only  in  nice  homes,  but  in  nice  neigh- 
borhoods, and  there  should  be  developed  in  all 
this  strong  neighborhood  feeling.  Those  who 
have  it  not  will  not  be  regarded  as  desirable; 
neighbors,  a  development  which  the  whole  Ne- 
gro race  should  be  most  careful  to  avoid,  as 
the  best  results  are  obtained  for  the  race  wher- 
ever its  interests  are  interwoven  with  the  in- 
terests of  the  general  public.  But  there  cannot 
be  a  sharing  on  the  part  of  the  Negroes  along 
with  the  rest  of  the  public,  if  because  of  a  lack 
of  neighborhood  pride,  members  of  the  race  are 
left  to  themselves  as  undesirable  neighbors. 

This  spirit  of  reform  should  extend  to  every- 
thing within  the  life  of  the  Negro  race  that 
needs  improvement.  The  reform  movement 


90  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

should  go  forward  in  two  ways.  First,  there 
should  be  constant  personal  effort  to  bring 
about  reforms.  Each  individual  should  regard 
himself  as  a  missionary  always  on  duty  in  every 
place.  But  care  must  be  taken  to  do  all  things 
in  an  inoffensive  way. 

In  the  second  place,  there  should  be  organ- 
ization. Existing  organizations  well  could  be 
pressed  into  service  to  work  for  the  reforms 
herein  set  forth  as  needed,  and  for  other  needed 
reforms  not  mentioned  in  these  pages.  Also 
special  organizations  might  be  formed  to  work 
out  reforms  along  some  given  lines.  When  peo- 
ple are  working  together  they  mutually  encour- 
age each  other,  and  can  be  of  assistance  to  one 
another  by  an  exchange  of  ideas  as  to  how  best 
to  reach  the  ends  desired. 

Attention  is  here  called  to  the  fact  that  the 
minds  of  children  are  plastic,  and  often  helpful 
ideas  can  be  gotten  into  homes  by  means  of 
children  when  other  routes  are  closed.  Those 
who  have  children  under  their  care  have  splen- 
did opportunities  that  should  be  utilized  for 
sending  reform  ideas  into  homes.  Movements 
attractive  to  children  should  be  inaugurated, 
and  when  the  children  are  gotten  together  they 
can  be  inspired  with  proper  ideals,  and  can  be 
used  to  carry  into  their  respective  homes  and 
neighborhoods  those  conceptions  of  whatis right 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  91 

and  proper  that  will  aid  in  transforming  the  ele- 
ment of  the  Negro  race  that  is  not  yet  living  up 
to  the  desired  standards. 

There  is  no  race  but  that  has  been  afflicted 
with  giant  evils,  and  such  evils  as  have  been 
eliminated  have  been  overcome  only  by  the 
spirit  of  reform  which  is  here  strongly  urged 
upon  the  prepared  members  of  the  Negro  race. 

If  these  reforms  are  not  prosecuted  within 
the  Negro  race  efforts  will  be  put  forth  with- 
out the  race  to  avoid  the  evils,  the  presence  of 
which  suggest  these  efforts,  and  in  that  case  the 
prepared  Negroes  may  be  called  upon  to  share 
the  fate  of  the  unprepared.  Thus  we  see  that 
the  destiny  of  one  Negro  is,  in  a  sense,  linked 
to  that  of  another  and  the  resolve  should  be 
universal  that  all  are  to  rise  together.  "All 
men  up,  and  no  man  down,"  should  be  the  slo- 
gan of  the  prepared  element  within  the  Negro 
race. 

Finally. 

If  the  course  here  outlined  is  pursued  there 
will  come  a  marked  softening  of  the  feelings  of 
the  American  white  people  toward  the  Negro 
race.  Many  things  which  the  Negroes  now  think 
are  due  to  color  prejudice  will  be  seen  not  to 
be  such.  Many  rights  and  privileges  that  now 
can  hardly  be  made  secure  by  law  will  be  freely 


92  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

granted  without  law.    Cure  the  inside.    It  will 
help  the  outside  very  materially. 

The  white  people,  you  say,  have  prejudices 
that  are  unjust.  If  such  is  the  case,  the  class 
of  individuals  and  the  kind  of  race  here  pleaded 
for  will  greatly  help  in  getting  rid  of  improper 
feelings. 

May  the  Negroes  of  the  world  apply  them- 
selves diligently  to  the  task  of  acquiring  the 
qualities  herein  set  forth,  as  a  cure  for  much 
of  the  ill  feeling  there  may  be  in  the  world  to- 
ward them.  May  they  not  feel  that  they  are 
through  with  this  message  when  curiosity  as  to 
what  it  was  to  be,  has  been  satisfied.  May  they 
not  feel  that  merely  assenting  to  the  proposi- 
tions laid  clown  is  sufficient. 

It  is  not  the  knowing  of  the  principles  of  suc- 
cess that  brings  success.  That  only  comes  when 
men  have  the  power  to  transmute  knowledge 
into  action;  when  they  have  the  power  to 
smother  all  of  the  voices  calling  them  in  a  con- 
trary direction,  and  actually  pursue  that  path- 
way which  alone  leads  to  success.  It  is  there- 
fore prayed  that  this  message  may  abide  with 
the  reader,  that  he  may  realize  the  eternity  of 
the  principles  laid  down,  and  that  he  may  be 
found  ever  walking  upon  the  highway  cast  up. 
Let  him  induce  all  of  his  fellows  within  his 
reach  to  adopt  this  body  of  principles. 


Life'i  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  93 

May  these  principles  be  studied,  and  ex- 
pounded over  and  over  again  in  the  home,  in 
the  school,  in  the  church,  in  the  press,  upon  the 
platform,  everywhere,  at  all  times,  through  ev- 
ery generation.  Let  each  member  of  the  race, 
however  humble  in  his  own  sight,  become  an 
advocate  of  these  principles.  May  the  inven- 
tive genius  of  the  race  be  directed  toward  find- 
ing the  best  ways  of  getting  these  principles 
written  upon  the  hearts  of  all  the  people,  and 
may  those  be  found  who  have  the  activity,  the 
patience,  the  persistence  and  the  love  of  their 
kind  to  sustain  them  until  the  work  of  redemp- 
tion has  been  attained. 

Our  urgent  plea  is  that  you  become  a  worker 
to  impart  to  the  individuals  of  the  race  the 
traits  herein  set  forth.  Do  this,  and  live  as  a 
people.  Neglect  this,  and  perish.  Do  this,  and 
become  a  truly  great  people.  Fail,  and  have 
shame  as  a  race  as  your  everlasting  portion. 

Let  us  not  merely  assent  to  these  principles. 

Let  us  act.  We  must  act. 

When  the  things  herein  set  forth  have  been 
done,  but  not  until  that  time,  will  the  Negroes 
be  able  to  look  up  into  their  sky  and  see  em- 
blazoned upon  their  banner  the  enchanting 
word,  " Success.'* 

We  now  have  before  us  the  pathway  by 
means  of  which  we  may  rise. 


!>4  Life's  bemands;  of,  According  to  Latt). 


The  Law  of  the  Development  of  the 
Spirit  of  Patriotism 

But  for  the  spirit  of  sacrifice  found  in  the 
human  heart,  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the 
progress  that  has  been  made  by  mankind  would 
not  have  been  possible.  There  come  to  men  and 
women  many  tasks  that  carry  with  them  no 
present-day  rewards.  If  performed  at  all,  they 
must  be  performed  with  the  knowledge  that 
during  the  life  of  the  actor  nothing  in  the  way 
of  a  reward  will  be  received.  The  present  con- 
dition of  the  Negro  race  calls  loudly  for  patri- 
otic service  of  this  character  and  it  would  be 
well  for  the  race  to  understand  just  how  to  stim- 
ulate and  keep  alive  among  its  members  this 
patriotic  spirit. 

There  are  two  ways  of  attaining  this  end  to 
which  we  shall  refer.  There  should  exist  a  spirit 
of  appreciation  for  unselfish  service.  Wherever 
members  of  a  race  are  coldly  selfish,  and  neither 
pay  for  nor  appreciate  that  which  is  done  for 
them  in  an  unselfish  way,  that  has  a  tendency  to 
check  the  growth  of  the  patriotic  feeling.  Too 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  06 

often  members  of  the  Negro  race  accept  as  a 
matter  of  course  unselfish  service  rendered.  Too 
often  they  are  extremely  critical.  Too  often 
they  fail  to  extend  words  of  encouragement. 
Too  often  workers  must  labor  in  an  atmosphere 
where,  instead  of  being  appreciated  for  the  serv- 
ice rendered,  they  seem  to  be  regarded  as  fools. 

If  you  would  have  the  patriotic  spirit  to  flour- 
ish do  not  carry  around  with  you  silent  appre- 
ciation. Wherever  you  see  one  toiling  for  the 
common  good,  take  the  pains  to  let  him  or  her 
know  that  you  see  and  understand  what  is  being 
done,  and  are  duly  appreciative  of  the  same.  Do 
this  whether  you  are  a  direct  recipient  of  the 
service  or  not. 

There  is  yet  another  way  in  which  the  patri- 
otic spirit  may  be  developed.  Sometimes  pa- 
triotic service  must  be  rendered  where  the  de- 
gree of  development  on  the  part  of  the  people 
insures  that  there  shall  be  no  appreciation  on 
the  part  of  those  being  served.  They  may  not 
realize  their  own  condition  sufficiently  to  under- 
stand the  value  of  the  service  undertaken  for 
them.  Not  knowing,  they  may  be  hostile  where 
they  should  be  grateful.  Those  wno  are  to  live 
and  to  labor  under  circumstances  where  not 
even  appreciation  is  shown,  should  be  allowed 
to  have  the  consolation  of  feeling  that  their 
memories  are  to  be  kept  green  after  they  have 


Demand*;  or,  According  to  Law. 


passed  out  of  this  life.  They  should  be  allowed 
in  their  hearts  to  appeal  their  cases  from  their 
surroundings  to  the  pages  of  history.  Such  a 
consolation  has  a  marked  effect  in  stimulating 
patriotism,  but  it  can  only  exist  in  races  where 
the  people  have  a  keen  historic  sense,  and  be- 
lieve in  publishing  and  preserving  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  accounts  of  heroic  service 
whether  rendered  by  those  known  to  the  world 
as  great  or  by  those  classed  as  humble. 

Let  us  suppose  that  a  soldier  in  time  of  battle 
is  ordered  by  his  commander  to  join  in  a  charge 
upon  a  certain  fort  where  he  is  almost  sure  to 
be  killed.    It  may  be  that  he  is  of  the  opinion 
that  he  will  not  live  to  receive  any  reward  for 
his  obedience,  courage  and  devotion  to  the  cause 
of  his  country.    Yet  if  he  belongs  to  a  race  that 
has  a  historic  sense,  that  believes  in  making  a 
record  of  the  noble  achievements  of  even  the 
humblest  of  men,  then  he  can  be  sustained  by 
the  thought  that  long  after  he  and  his  comrades 
in  the  charge  have  passed  away,  the  story  of 
their  daring  will  be  read  and  reread  around  the 
firesides  of  the  nation.    But  when  a  man  feels 
that  what  he  does  for  his  people  is  soon  forgot- 
ten, and  has  no  appreciation  beyond  the  mo- 
ment, nor  in  fact  for  the  moment,  very  naturally, 
except  in  the  case  of  the  man  of  the  truest  spirit, 
he  hesitates  about  making  too  great  sacrifices. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  9? 

The  nobler  tasks  of  life  are  not  performed  upon 
bloody  battlefields,  but,  in  the  ways  of  peace; 
yet  in  the  endeavors  of  peace  sacrifices  are  as 
necessary  as  in  battle,  and  where  there  is  to  be 
no  memory  of  them  after  being  made,  sacrifices 
are  just  as  reluctantly  made  in  the  ways  of  peace 
as  on  the  battlefields  under  like  circumstances. 

We  are  not  here  arguing  in  favor  of  the  idea 
that  a  person  is  not  to  be  heroic  unless  there  is 
to  be  some  one  to  see  and  record  the  act  of 
heroism.  One  should  do  his  duty  regardless  as 
to  whether  the  eye  of  man  sees  or  pen  records 
what  is  done.  But  the  fact  abides  that  it  is  a 
stimulus  to  heroic  action  for  men  to  know  that 
what  they  do  is  to  be  appreciated  after  they  are 
gone,  or  that  there  is  at  least  a  chance  of  such 
appreciation. 

In  order  that  the  needed  spirit  of  sacrifice 
may  be  stimulated  in  the  race,  steps  should  be 
taken  always  to  honor  the  memories  of  those 
who  have  served  the  cause  of  the  people  well. 
Persons  should  be  encouraged  to  write  the  biog- 
raphies of  the  worthy.  Days  should  be  set  aside 
to  honor  the  memories  of  those  who  have  ren- 
dered conspicuous  service.  We  little  know  to 
what  extent  an  ambition  to  occupy  an  honorable 
place  in  history  has  steadied  the  feet  of  the  great 
statesmen  of  the  world.  Nor  can  it  be  known 
just  how  much  of  a  tendency  to  go  astray  has 


98  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

been  purged  from  men  by  the  manner  in  which 
the  historians  have  gibbeted  those  who  have 
lived  unworthily.  Where  there  is  no  praise  in 
history  for  virtue,  and  no  censure  for  vicious- 
ness,  there  is  likely  to  develop  the  thought  that 
the  time  being  is  the  only  period  worth  being 
considered. 

This  brings  us  face  to  face  again  with  the 
question  of  the  development  of  a  literature.  Ob- 
serve that  all  of  the  races  of  mankind  that  have 
achieved  greatness  have  developed  a  literature. 
Not  a  single  race  that  has  no  literature  is  classi- 
fied as  great  in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  Here 
then  is  the  situation:  They  who  would  foster 
the  patriotic  spirit  so  needful  for  the  advance- 
ment of  mankind  must  have  a  way  of  embalm- 
ing the  memories  of  those  who  thus  serve  their 
fellows,  and  the  races  that  have  no  literature  are 
devoid  of  a  method  of  embalming.  Where  peo- 
ple have  not  the  habit  of  reading  there  will  not 
be  much  writing.  The  future  progress  of  the 
Negro  race  calls  for  an  awakening  on  the  part 
of  the  people  to  the  necessity  of  cultivating  the 
habit  of  reading  and  a  stimulation  of  the  art  of 
making  literature  as  indispensable  aids  to  the 
development  of  the  spirit  of  patriotism. 


Life'g  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  99 


The  Law  of  the  Making  of 
Great  Men 


A  great  need  of  any  people  is  men  of  excep- 
tional strength.  They  are  needed  as  a  source 
of  inspiration  to  stimulate  the  ambitions  and 
to  quicken  and  sustain  the  activities  of  the 
young.  They  are  needed  that  there  may  be  those 
of  commanding  influence  able  to  rally  the  people 
at  points  and  along  lines  necessary  for  the  com- 
mon good. 

This  need  is  strikingly  illustrated  by  the  ex- 
periences of  bees.  A  hive  of  bees  traveling 
through  the  air  searching  for  a  home  is  able  to 
maintain  its  unity  because  there  is  in  its  midst 
a  queen  bee  whose  voice  rises  above  those  of 
the  others  and  thus  gives  notice  to  all  as  to  the 
direction  in  which  to  fly.  When  some  one,  desir- 
ing to  capture  the  hive,  causes  a  noise  to  be 
made  that  drowns  the  voice  of  the  queen  so 
that  the  bees  do  not  know  how  to  make  their 
journey  in  unison,  then  it  is  that  the  hive  settles 
down  and  is  captured.  Just  as  nature  never 
regards  a  group  of  bees  as  fitted  for  group  activ- 
ities until  she  has  provided  the  group  with  this 


100  Life's  Demands;  of,  According  to  Law. 

queen  bee.  possessing  the  loud  voice  that  can  be 
heard  above  all  others,  likewise  nature  deposits 
here  and  there  in  the  ranks  of  men,  characters 
possessing  exceptional  powers.  Even  as  the 
bees  are  nonplussed  when  they  have  no  superior 
voice  to  guide,  just  so  groups  of  people  fail  of 
the  desired  progress  whenever  they  have  no  men 
among  them  of  exceptional  strength. 

But  in  the  matter  of  providing  this  type  of 
men,  nature  leaves  much  to  be  done  by  the 
groups  unto  which  they  are  given.  And  where 
there  seems  to  be  a  lack  of  natural  leadership 
the  people  are  expected  to  beget  a  leadership. 
Since  the  people  have  a  part  to  perform  in  the 
matter  of  the  making  of  great  men,  and  since 
great  men  are  of  such  vital  importance,  it  is 
well  that  we  give  earnest  attention  to  the  man- 
ner of  their  making. 

The  fact  that  the  late  Prof.  Booker  T.  Wash- 
ington was  a  member  of  the  Negro  race  may  lead 
some  to  feel  that  the  race  has  already  developed 
full  capacity  for  the  making  of  characters  that 
are  strong  in  influence  and  inspirational  power. 
It  is  possible  that  the  fame  achieved  by  Mr. 
Washington  may  be  the  occasion  of  the  develop- 
ment of  a  false  notion  as  to  the  degree  of  devel- 
opment thus  far  attained  by  the  Negro  race  in 
the  United  States.  A  familiar  assertion  with 
reference  to  his  career  has  been  somewhat  on 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  101 

this  order:  "If  within  fifty  years  after  emanci- 
pation the  Negro  race  could  produce  a  Booker 
T.  "Washington,  there  is  no  room  for  discourage- 
ment as  to  the  degree  of  progress  being  made 
by  the  race."  It  is  never  a  helpful  thing  for  a 
man  or  a  race  to  think  that  he  or  it  has  accom- 
plished more  than  is  the  case,  and  it  is  the  part 
of  wisdom  for  the  Negro  race  to  realize  fully 
that  in  a  very  important  sense  it  did  not  pro- 
duce Mr.  "Washington.  The  recital  of  facts  bear- 
ing out  this  contention  will  reveal  the  need  of 
strengthening  the  life  of  the  race  at  certain  vital 
points. 

In  keeping  with  the  principle  laid  down  in 
this  book,  Mr.  Washington  attained  his  remark- 
able success  and  his  great  fame  through  co- 
operation. He  possessed  certain  qualities  that 
won  the  favor  of  men,  and  they  lent  to  him  the 
strength  that  made  him  great.  Of  the  more  than 
three  millions  of  dollars  represented  in  the 
school  for  which  he  labored  so  successfully,  but 
few  of  the  dollars  came  as  the  result  of  his  earn- 
ing capacity.  Other  men,  Mr.  Carnegie  and  oth- 
ers, earned  the  money,  and  Prof.  Washington 
influenced  them  to  devote  it  to  the  ideas  in 
which  he  believed.  If  he  had  devoted  his  entire 
salary  to  the  work  it  would  hardly  have  amount- 
ed to  a  hundredth  part  of  what  is  to  be  found 


102  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

there.    It  is  plain  that  Mr.  Washington  achieved 
his  success  as  a  result  of  co-operation. 

Since  co-operation  is  the  keynote  of  Mr. 
Washington's  success,  let  us  note  the  source 
from  which  the  co-operation  came.  The  white 
people  of  the  South  in  the  days  of  slavery  had 
direct  charge  of  the  Negro  slaves  of  the  South, 
and  were  in  a  position  to  enforce  their  ideas  of 
labor  on  them  and  to  insist  upon  efficiency. 
When  the  Negroes  were  set  free  and  could  at 
will  go  from  one  employer  to  another,  the  white 
people  had  no  means  of  insuring  that  they  would 
have  efficient  servants.  One  of  their  great  prob- 
lems as  an  employing  class  grew  to  be  the  ques- 
tion of  securing  well  trained  help.  Mr.  Wash- 
ington saw  this  great  need  and  devoted  his  en- 
ergies toward  developing  efficiency  in  the  race. 
The  white  people  know  well  how  to  co-operate 
with  the  man  with  whom  they  sympathize,  and 
are  thoughtful  to  do  so.  Seeing  that  the  ideas 
of  Mr.  Washington  were  helpful  both  to  the 
Negroes  and  to  themselves,  the  white  people  co- 
operated with  him  in  all  needful  ways.  In  pri- 
vate conversation  they  took  pains  to  mention 
and  speak  well  of  his  labors.  Editors  of  news- 
papers freely  lent  him  all  the  space  needed  in 
their  journals,  and  they  did  not  neglect  to  com- 
ment upon  his  work  whenever  it  was  appropri- 
ate or  profitable  to  his  cause  for  them  so  to  do. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  103 

Whatever  would  add  to  his  prestige,  advertise 
his  work  and  win  him  friends  the  white  people 
generally  were  glad  to  do.  Legislatures  invited 
him  to  address  them.  Governors  of  states  cheer- 
fully announced  themselves  as  his  friends. 
Presidents  of  the  nation  paid  visits  to  the  school 
which  he  operated.  It  was  the  design  of  the 
while  people  to  call  the  attention  of  mankind  to 
the  service  Mr.  Washington  was  rendering,  to 
the  end  that  co-operation  might  flow  to  him 
from  every  possible  quarter. 

Let  us  now  turn  from  the  picture  of  the  co- 
operation extended  by  the  white  people,  and 
take  note  of  the  attitude  of  his  own  race  con- 
cerning a  matter  that  rested  upon  Mr.  Wash- 
ington's heart.  The  most  famous  Negro  devel- 
oped in  the  race  in  the  United  States  prior  to 
the  rise  of  Mr.  Washington  was  Frederick  Doug- 
lass, a  great  orator  and  a  potent  factor  in  arous- 
ing a  sentiment  in  the  nation  in  favor  of  eman- 
cipation. Mr.  Washington  grew  to  feel  that  the 
Negro  race  should  honor  the  memory  of  Doug- 
lass, and  that  it  was  somewhat  a  duty  for  him 
to  take  the  lead  in  the  matter.  The  idea  was 
conceived  that  a  good  thing  to  do  was  to  pur- 
chase the  old  Douglass  home  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  and  fit  it  up  for  a  memorial  building, 
where  Douglass  relics  might  be  gathered,  with 
the  view  to  having  the  Negroes  to  journey  there 


104  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

to  meditate  upon  the  career  of  the  man  of  their 
race  most  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the 
emancipation  of  the  race.  There  was  an  indebt- 
edness on  the  home  approximating  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  and  Mr.  Washington  undertook  the 
task  of  raising  that  sum  of  money  from  mem- 
bers of  the  Negro  race  for  the  purpose  here  men- 
tioned. He  did  not  succeed  in  raising  the  de- 
sired amount.  He  died  with  the  task  far  from 
complete,  as  small  as  it  may  seem  to  be.  This 
constituted  the  one  known  failure  of  his  career. 

The  question  well  might  be  asked  as  to  why 
the  weightier  task  of  Mr.  "Washington,  the  up- 
building of  a  great  industrial  school,  was  such  a 
pronounced  success,  whereas  his  minor  under- 
taking came  to  naught.  If  the  tasks  had  been 
undertaken  by  different  men  it  would  not  be  so 
valuable  to  us  as  an  illustration  of  the  point  we 
desire  to  make.  It  might  be  contended  that 
there  was  something  lacking  on  the  part  of  the 
man  who  failed  at  the  minor  task.  The  very 
plain  and  simple  fact  is  that  the  major  task 
pleased  people  who  have  the  characteristics  that 
beget  successful  co-operation,  while  the  minor 
task  was  undertaken  with  a  people  that  greatly 
needs  strengthening  in  the  virtues  essential  for 
co-operation. 

Let  us  consider  some  stubborn  facts  in  this 
connection.  Men  cannot  become  great  of  them- 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  105 

selves,  it  matters  not  what  may  be  their  natural 
endowments.  The  race  of  people  that  sits  idly 
by  expecting  its  units  to  evolve  into  great  char- 
acters themselves  is  doomed  to  disappointment. 
Nor  are  the  needed  characters  going  to  be  hand- 
ed down  to  them  from  heaven.  The  very  simple 
way  to  have  the  needed  great  men  is  to  make 
them.  Somewhere  in  every  group  and  in  every 
race  there  are  those  who  have  natural  endow- 
ment that  fit  them  for  tasks,  the  performance  of 
which  is  essential  to  the  progress  of  mankind. 
When  such  individuals  give  evidence  of  their 
possibilities  the  people  should  be  thoughtful  to 
co-operate  with  them. 

There  are  three  great  dangers  that  are  a 
standing  menace  to  the  developing  of  great  men. 
First,  a  man  of  unusual  talents  is  very  likely 
to  excite  jealousy  in  the  bosoms  of  men  of  tal- 
ent who  may  regard  him  as  a  rival  for  the  es- 
teem which  they  would  like  to  enjoy.  Such 
a  feeling  on  their  part  would  hold  them  back 
from  giving  needed  co-operation.  In  the  second 
place,  the  possession  of  narrow  minds  that  have 
but  little  room  for  anything  save  their  own  im- 
mediate tasks  is  a  serious  handicap  to  co-opera- 
tion. Whenever  such  a  condition  exists  there 
may  be  splendid  local  achievements  accompa- 
nied by  a  disgraceful  failure  in  general  matters, 
all  because  men  are  so  engrossed  in  their  own 


106  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

local  work  that  they  fail  to  extend  the  hand  of 
co-operation  to  matters  pertaining  to  the  gen- 
eral welfare  without  which  hand  there  can  be 
no  success  in  matters  of  a  general  character.  A 
third  danger  is  the  tendency  of  units  to  under- 
estimate their  importance.  If  a  race  is  com- 
posed of  men  who  say  of  themselves,  "I  am  an 
humble  man.  I  do  not  count  for  very  much.  My 
help  would  do  but  little  good,  and  will  not  be 
missed  if  withheld/'  then  indeed  is  the  situa- 
tion unfortunate.  However  humble  a  man's  sta- 
tion, however  little  he  may  be  able  to  do,  he 
should  see  to  it  that  that  little  is  done.  Learn  a 
lesson  from  the  bacilli  that  produce  tubercu- 
losis. The  germ  is  so  small  that  a  thousand  of 
them  can  be  assembled  on  the  point  of  a  needle, 
and  yet  would  be  invisible  to  the  naked  eye.  Yet 
this  germ  does  not  underestimate  its  impor- 
tance. It  does  not  feel  that  it  is  of  such  slight 
consequence  that  it  should  not  act.  No,  each 
germ  goes  diligently  to  work  doing  all  in  its 
power,  and  as  a  result  the  disease  begotten  by 
it  and  its  fellows  has  baffled  thus  far  all  human 
skill.  Likewise  if  a  useful  man  is  found  in  the 
Negro  race  and  the  units  of  the  race  will  but 
support  him,  each  to  the  extent  of  his  ability,  a 
great  man  will  be  developed  and  great  things 
will  be  accomplished. 

Toward  the  close  of  a  day  on  which  an  elec- 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  107 

tion  was  being  held,  a  white  man  who  was  a 
laborer  was  hurrying  in  the  direction  of  a  poll- 
ing booth  for  the  purpose  of  casting  his  ballot. 
A  Negro  acquaintance  saw  him  and  asked  him 
why  he  was  in  such  haste.  He  told  him  that 
he  was  hastening  that  he  might  reach  the 
ballot  box  before  it  closed,  as  he  wished  to  cast 
a  vote  for  a  candidate  in  whom  he  believed.  Th« 
Negro  watched  the  white  man  as  he  hurried  by 
and  noted  his  great  eagerness  to  vote.  He 
states  that  he  was  deeply  impressed  by  the  inci- 
dent. Long  he  meditated  about  the  white  man, 
leflecting  on  his  great  eagerness  to  get  to  the 
ballot  box  to  cast  that  one  vote.  The  Negro 
says  he  could  not  understand  why  the  man  could 
be  attaching  so  much  importance  to  that  one 
vote.  The  campaign  had  been  waged,  thousands 
of  ballots  had  been  cast,  the  close  of  the  day  had 
about  come,  and  the  Negro  said  that  he  could 
not  understand  why  at  such  a  stage  this  white 
man  should  be  so  much  concerned  r.bout  getting 
his  vote  into  the  box.  The  idea  seemed  to  him 
to  be  silly.  He  looked  upon  the  white  man  as 
being  somewhat  foolish.  He  wondered  as  to 
the  state  of  his  mind. 

Have  we  not  here  a  secret  of  the  backward- 
ness of  the  Negro  race  in  the  matter  of  the  de- 
veloping of  a  needed  leadership?  As  has  been 
stated,  each  unit  should  have  a  sense  of  its  im- 


108  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

portance,  should  feel  with  reference  to  every- 
thing, where  support  appears  important  and 
where  it  appears  unimportant,  that  it  should  do 
its  part,  however  small,  toward  the  support  of 
the  cause  that  it  favors.  The  first  day,  the 
very  first  day  the  various  units  of  the  Negro 
race  develop  the  consciousness  that  they,  each 
of  them,  should  give  actual  support  to  the  men 
and  to  the  causes  that  they  favor;  the  first  day 
that  you,  oh  reader,  if  you  are  a  member  of  that 
race,  and  others  with  you  convert  your  approval 
of  men  and  causes  into  action,  however  slight, 
and  you  allow  your  little  contribution  of  sup- 
port of  whatever  nature  to  reach  the  individual 
or  the  cause  favored — the  day  that  this  happens 
will  be  the  day  of  the  real  emancipation  of  the 
Negro  race,  will  be  the  day  of  the  coming  of 
the  needed  great  men  to  the  race.  This  is  the 
law,  and  the  Negro  race,  to  have  the  desired 
success,  must  obey  it. 

It  is  exceedingly  important  that  the  units 
that  call  themselves  humble  should  help  men  to 
perform  tasks  undertaken  for  the  common  good, 
for  it  is  possible  that  jealousy  may  restrain 
other  leading  characters  from  helping,  may,  in 
fact,  influence  them  to  seek  to  hinder  efforts. 
Thus  if  the  units  that  feel  themselves  humble 
fail  to  do  their  respective  duties  the  cause  would 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  109 

seem  to  be  lost.  A  sense  of  personal  responsi- 
bility in  the  bosom  of  every  man  for  helping 
every  other  man  in  whom  he  believes  will  solve 
the  problem  of  the  making  of  great  men. 


110  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Lav), 


The  Law  of  Universal  Struggle 

Throughout  the  realm  of  nature,  wherever 
there  is  life,  whether  among  plants,  animals  or 
groups  of  men,  there  is  in  operation  what  is 
called  the  Darwinian  law  of  the  survival  of  the 
fittest,  the  struggle  for  existence.  All  life  is 
subject  to  the  test  of  struggle.  Nature  seems  to 
value  her  space  so  highly  that  none  save  the  fit 
are  to  be  permitted  to  abide  and  enjoy  it.  Many 
forms  of  life  are  called,  but  few  are  chosen. 
Whatever  survives  must  do  so  by  emerging  tri- 
umphant from  a  struggle. 

No  sort  of  truce  can  be  arranged  permanently 
by  anything  that  has  life  that  will  free  it  from 
the  necessity  of  contest.  The  struggle  some- 
times takes  on  one  form,  and  sometimes  another, 
but,  in  one  form  or  another,  it  rages  ever,  every- 
where and  with  reference  to  everything. 

The  water  that  lies  placidly  on  the  bosom  of 
the  quiet  lake  is  attacked  by  the  rays  of  the  sun 
which  destroy  as  many  drops  of  water  as  they 
can,  and  send  them  to  the  sky  in  the  form  of  va- 
por. The  air  with  its  countless  millions  of  teeth 
is  gnawing  at  every  building  that  has  been  con- 


It/e's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  Ill 

structed,  and  whatever  cannot  withstand  this 
gnawing  must  perish.  The  tornado  sweeps 
through  the  forest,  embraces  every  tree  that  it 
passes,  and  when  it  comes  upon  one  with  a  hol- 
low heart,  it  breaks  it,  casts  down  its  top,  and 
reveals  its  internal  rottenness  to  the  world. 

Look  about  you,  where  the  animals  abound, 
and  observe  the  plucking  process  that  all  the 
while  goes  on.  The  bug  attacks  the  plant  which, 
to  live,  must  withstand  the  assault.  The  bird 
attacks  the  bug,  and  the  huntsman,  in  turn,  at- 
tacks the  bird.  Crouching  amid  the  bushes, 
hidden  by  the  leaves,  is  the  panther,  ready  to 
spring  upon  the  huntsman. 

A  miscroscope  will  reveal  the  same  sort  of 
struggle  going  on  in  a  glass  of  water.  An  in- 
sect swallows  one  that  is  smaller  than  itself, 
and  before  the  process  of  digestion  is  over,  the 
two  are  swallowed  at  a  gulp  by  a  third  insect 
that  is  larger  than  they.  * 

The  air  is  not  free  from  the  universal  strug- 
gle. One  bird  attacks  another  and  destroys  it, 
and  in  turn  is  itself  destroyed  by  a  stronger 
bird.  The  hawk  swoops  down  and  catches  the 
chicken,  and  the  eagle  catches  the  hawk. 

Thus  it  is  that  beneath  the  soil,  upon  the 
earth's  surface,  in  the  water  and  in  the  air,  the 
great  struggle  for  existence  goes  on  and  on, 


112  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

leaving  alive  only  the  things  that  have  the  judg- 
ment and  the  power  to  escape. 

The  Negro  race  cannot  hope  to  be  an  exception 
to  this  universal  law.  Life  is  not  to  be  a  serious 
matter  with  the  insects  and  the  birds,  with  the 
plants  of  the  field,  and  with  other  men  and 
races,  and  at  the  same  time  a  pleasant  joke  with 
the  Negroes.  They,  too,  must  come  under  the 
law,  and  stand  the  test  of  holding  their  own 
through  struggle. 

The  contest  in  America  is  not  to  be  of  a  phy- 
sical character,  but  the  struggle  is  to  be  a 
strenuous  one  just  the  same.  It  is  not  to  be  of 
man's  origin,  nor  can  it  be  stopped  by  man. 

A  reading  of  the  Negro  literature  of  the  day 
reveals  the  fact  that  the  race  stands  amazed  at 
developments  taking  place  in  America  with 
reference  to  its  position  in  the  body  politic.  The 
lot  of  the  race  seems  to  be  growing  harder  and 
harder.  That  which  alarms  the  race  is  but  the 
coming  of  a  condition  long  overdue.  American 
slavery  and  the  Civil  War  caused  a  temporary 
suspension  of  the  operation  of  the  law  of  the 
survival  of  the  fittest,  both  in  the  North  and  in 
the  South.  The  fact  that  the  Negroes  began 
life  in  America  as  slaves  brought  to  their  aid  the 
knowledge  and  skill  of  their  white  owners,  who 
helped  them  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  new 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  113 

climate  and  stood  guard  over  them,  protecting 
them  from  many  possibile  vices  and  injurious 
habits.  Thus  slavery  served  as  a  sort  of  shelter 
beneath  which  the  Negro  rested,  temporarily 
exempt  from  some  forms  of  the  struggle  for  ex- 
istence raging  all  around.  Just  as  the  farmer 
goes  into  the  field  with  his  hoe  and  helps  the 
corn  in  its  battle  with  the  grass  until  it  is  far 
enough  advanced  to  hold  its  own  unaided,  just  so 
slavery,  as  a  matter  of  self -protection,  saw  to 
it  that  the  Negro  race  had  aid  in  its  efforts  to 
live  and  get  a  firm  footing  in  the  new  home  of 
the  race.  But  slavery  has  been  abolished,  the 
shelter  is  gone,  and  the  Negroes  have  been  sum- 
moned to  the  open  field  of  struggle  on  their  own 
merits,  where  they  must  compete  and  win,  or 
go  down  in  the  great  battle  of  life. 

The  Civil  War  left  a  residue  of  pity  in  the 
North  for  the  Negroes,  and  the  race  in  that  sec- 
tion was  accorded  attentions  not  gained  as  a 
matter  of  pure  merit.  But  that  feeling  has  died 
out  largely  in  that  section,  and  there  the  race  is 
being  given  just  that  that  it  is  able  to  win  for 
itself  by  means  of  its  own  ability  and  graces. 

Slavery  cast  a  sort  of  stigma  on  manual  labor, 
but  time  has  erased  that  largely,  and  now  fields 
of  endeavor  that  were  once  left  uncontested  to 
the  Negro  race,  henceforth  must  be  contested  for 


114  Life's  bemanda;  or,  According  to  tav). 

with  all  energy.  The  little  Negro  bootblack  has 
been  summoned  to  contest  for  his  job  with 
youths  hailing  from  the  land  of  Socrates,  Plato, 
Pericles  and  Demosthenes,  the  land  of  Greece. 
The  Negro  washerwoman  must  enter  the  con- 
test for  the  bundles  of  soiled  clothes  with  the 
white  owners  of  the  modern  laundry.  Thus,  on 
and  on,  covering  almost  every  field  of  industry 
in  the  South,  competition  has  come  or  is  in 
sight. 

Following  in  the  wake  of  the  " Civil  War" 
there  came  an  estrangement  between  the  white 
and  the  colored  people  of  the  South,  and  a  pe- 
riod of  considerable  violence  ensued.  Owing  to 
this  unsettled  condition  of  things  in  the  South, 
land  was  very  cheap,  mob  violence  exercising  a 
depressing  effect  upon  land  values.  But  rela- 
tions between  the  races  have  grown  better, 
there  is  less  mob  violence  than  was  formerly  the 
case,  and  conditions  are  no  longer  regarded  as 
generally  dangerous.  The  result  is  that  there  has 
been  a  tremendous  'rise  in  land  values.  Thrifty 
southern  white  people,  northern  capitalists,  and 
many  industrious  foreigners  are  beginning  to 
lay  greater  stress  upon  the  lands  of  the  South. 
Vast  stretches  of  land  which  the  Negroes  at  one 
time  Tented  and  could  have  bought  on  easy 
terms,  can  not  now  in  some  cases  be  rented  at 
any  price  -by  them,  and  in  many  such  sections 


Life's  Demands;  of,  According  io  taw.  115 


the  land  is  now  held  for  sale  at  such  figures  as 
to  put  it  far  beyond  their  ability  to  enter  the 
lists  as  buyers.  Competition  at  this  point  has 
appeared  with  tremendous  force  and  is  destined 
to  increase  as  the  years  go  by. 

Thus  the  battle  is  on.  Not  a  shot  is  to  be 
fired,  not  a  shout  is  to  be  heard,  not  a  drop  of 
blood  is  to  be  spilled,  not  a  harsh  word  is  to  be 
spoken,  not  a  frown  is  to  be  seen,  not  a  sigh  or 
groan  is  to  escape.  It  is  to  be  a  simple  determin- 
ing of  the  question  as  to  who  is  the  best  suited 
to  do  the  world's  work.  He  that  is  able  holds 
his  own.  He  that  cannot  survive  goes  down 
noiselessly  to  the  sorrows  of  defeat. 


The  philanthropic  forces  of  the  nation,  North 
and  South,  stand  by  to  give  whatever  aid  they 
may,  but  the  Negroes  themselves  must  do  the 
battling.  The  helpers  can  act  only  as  seconds 
do  at  the  ringside.  They  can  shout  sugges- 
tions ;  they  can  demand  fair  play ;  they  can  dress 
wounds,  but  the  brunt  of  the  battling  must  be 
borne  by  the  Negroes  themselves. 

There  is  ample  room  for  the  Negro  race  in  the 
economic  life  of  the  country.  There  is  no  ne- 
cessity for  it  to  go  down.  It  is  needed.  Its  suc- 
cess will  not  hurt  others.  It  will  be  to  the  in- 


116  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Lav). 

terests  of  all  for  the  race  to  be  efficient  and  to 
hold  its  own. 

Under  the  conditions  as  they  now  exist  there 
are  certain  tasks  that  should  be  performed,  but 
which  can  only  be  performed  by  a  strong  Negro 
social  body.  Under  the  sway  of  Negro  social  in- 
fluences children  grow  to  maturity,  and  if  the 
social  influences  in  the  hands  of  the  Negroes 
have  not  done  their  work  well,  if  the  Sunday 
schools,  the  churches,  the  public  schools,  the  so- 
cial circles,  and  the  community  life  have  not 
written  the  right  lessons  in  the  fullness  of  power 
on  their  hearts,  then  they  have  failed  to  perform 
a  task  that  was  peculiarly  their  own,  a  task  that 
other  social  influences  were  not  in  a  position  to 
touch.  In  view  of  this  condition  of  affairs  in- 
terest is  great  in  all  thoughtful  circles  in  the 
establishment  of  a  strong  Negro  social  fabric. 

Then,  too,  the  American  people  have  no  need 
of  a  dying  element  in  their  midst,  emitting  from 
its  soul  the  foul  odors  that  tell  of  its  condition, 
sending  forth  crimes  born  of  a  spirit  of  reck- 
lessness and  despair.  If  the  Negroes  lose  in 
the  struggle  for  a  footing  in  the  economic  life 
of  the  nation,  they  will  prove  to  be  that  element 
with  a  dying  soul,  and  the  long,  tedious  and  un- 
certain task  of  finding  a  factor  to  substitute 
will  be  on  hand  with  all  of  its  new  complica- 
tions. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 117 

With  all  these  forces  calling  for  life,  why 
should  we  die?  Why  not  develop  the  virtues 
essential  for  permanently  successful  individual 
lives,  and  for  an  enduring  social  fabric!  These 
things  are  needed  in  the  struggle  for  existence. 

Those  who  are  concerned  about  the  success 
of  the  Negro  race  should  not  be  content  merely 
with  the  thought  that  they  are  doing  well  their 
special  tasks,  for  the  reason  that  the  destruc- 
tive force  which  we  find  running  throughout 
the  universe  hovers  over  all  things  and  searches 
for  and  will  assuredly  find  the  weak  point  of  a 
situation  and  will  press  home  the  attack  at 
that  point.  Kaces,  nations  and  social  fabrics 
along  with  all  things  else  are  duly  searched, 
and  those  whose  weak  points  can  not  withstand 
the  attacks  must  perish.  There  must  there- 
fore, be  uniform  strength  in  the  life  of  the  Ne- 
ro race,  and  workers  in  any  special  department 
must  be  concerned  about  what  goes  on  in  all. 
If  nine  commandments  of  racial  life  are  kept, 
and  the  tenth  is  violated,  the  whole  structure  is 
endangered  because  of  the  one  violation. 
We,  therefore,  call  upon  the  members  of  the 
Negro  race  who  desire  a  strong  social  fabric, 
who  would  have  the  increased  respect  of  man- 
kind, who  would  have  the  Negro  race  to  become 
efficient,  capable  of  performing  the  natural  and 
exclusive  tasks  belonging  to  a  Negro  social  fab- 


118  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

ric — we  call  upon  those  with  such  desires  to  ad- 
dress themselves  to  the  tasks  of  writing  deeply 
upon  the  hearts  of  all  the  members  of  the  race 
the  qualities  set  forth  herein  as  necessary  for 
social  efficiency. 

The  friends  of  the  Negro  race  in  all  sections 
of  our  country,  in  all  races  and  all  lands  of  the 
earth  desire  that  the  race  realize  that  this  is  no 
play  life,  that  the  situation  calls  for  the  best, 
and  all  of  the  best,  that  there  is  in  it  at  all  times 
and  everywhere,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest 
form  of  service. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law.  119 


THE  PARTING  WORD 


The  Social  Specific 

In  the  practice  of  medicine  that  which  will 
invariably  cure  a  disease  of  any  kind  is  known 
as  a  specific.  It  is  our  claim  that  we  have  put 
forward  in  these  pages  the  social  specific,  the 
remedy  that  unfailingly  will  bring  about  social 
efficiency  if  it  is  but  utilized. 

For  a  long  number  of  years  the  Negro  race 
has  pondered  its  condition,  has  debated  the 
matter  of  a  remedy,  has  pinned  its  faith  to 
certain  things  only  to  find  out  that  they  were 
wholly  inadequate.  The  collapse  of  so  many 
affairs  that  demand  social  efficiency — the  abil- 
ity of  vast  bodies  to  act  successfully,  led  many 
to  the  verge  of  despair  with  reference  to  the 
larger  hopes  and  aims  of  the  race,  and  afforded 
soil  for  the  springing  up  of  many  prophecies 
concerning  the  race. 

It  has  been  said  of  the  race  that  it  would  be 
able  to  produce  great  individuals  here  and  there, 
but  that  it  would  be  weak  forever  as  an  aggre- 
gation, as  a  social  body.  It  has  been  said  that 


0  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

te  problem  of  having  great  'bodies  of  men  to 
ise  their  minds  and  hearts  and  energies  to 
te  point  of  constituting  great  organizations 
oving  toward  the  attainment  of  objects 
spreed  upon  as  desirable  cannot  be  solved. 
;  has  been  said  of  the  race  that  it  is  doomed 
>  jog  along  the  world's  highway  exhibiting 
ily  individual  efficiency  and  presenting  the 
icture  of  disjointed  sections  failing  to  work  in 
irmony  with  each  other  and  often  working 
;jedlessly  at  cross  purposes  with  each  other, 
ut  the  social  specific  has  now  come  and  these 
redictions  can  be  made  to  fall  to  the  ground. 

Let  us,  by  way  of  recapitulation,  give  a  list 
?  the  ingredients  that  go  into  this  compound, 
ic  utilization  of  which  will  make  the  Negro 
ice  strong  as  a  body,  and  will  entitle  it  to  the 
aim  of  having  attained  unto  the  lofty  estate 
:  social  efficiency. 

The  Formula. 

Worthy  Individuals. 
Co-operative  Effort. 

Possession  of  Firmness  Amid  Unfavorable 
urroundings. 
Courtesy. 

Freedom  from  Excessive  Emotionalism. 
The  Placing  of  Eight  Above   Courtesy  or 
riendship. 


Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 121 

Honesty  That  Can  Withstand  a  Temptation 
of  Any  Strength. 

Discriminating  Trust. 

Fidelity  Toward  Eepresentatives. 

A  Disposition  to  Follow. 

Subordination  of  Personal  Feelings. 

The  Elimination  of  Opposition  Born  of 
Jealousy. 

A  Spirit  of  Universal  Helpfulness. 

Capability  of  Being  Influenced  to  Act  by 
Other  Than  Direct  Appeals  Made  in  Person. 

The  Ability  to  Feel  Keen  Personal  Respon- 
sibility Where  Large  Numbers  Are  Equally  In- 
volved. 

A  Proper  Attitude  on  the  Part  of  the  Strong 
Toward  the  Weak. 

Regard  for  the  Welfare  of  Coming  Genera- 
tions. 

Due  Regard  for  Womankind. 

Morality. 

Oh,  member  of  the  Negro  race,  whoever  and 
wherever  you  are,  however  humble  or  however 
exalted  may  be  the  station  in  which  you  serve, 
become  a  worker  for  social  efficiency,  the  one 
last  great  thing  unto  which,  it  is  said,  we  can- 
not attain.  Let  this  thought  be  your  guiding 
star,  and  to  this  end  make  every  possible  sacri- 
fice and  every  needful  concession.  If  we  would 
enjoy  a  full  measure  of  the  world's  respect,  we 


122  Life's  Demands;  or,  According  to  Law. 

must  become  efficient  as  a  race,  as  well  as  ef- 
ficient as  individuals. 

May  it  be  the  will  of  the  God  of  heaven  to 
give  unto  the  Negro  race  individuals  that  will 
have  the  spirit,  and  the  patience,  and  the  vi- 
sion, and  the  energy  to  systematically  drill 
these  qualities  into  the  race  until  it  has 
fully  demonstrated  its  ability  for  social  effi- 
ciency, the  great  outstanding  fort  which 
it  is  yet  to  capture.  When  alongside  its  line 
of  illustrious  individuals  it  can  place  its  dem- 
onstration of  social  efficiency,  the  last  dark 
cloud  of  shame  shall  have  vanished  from  its 
sky,  and  the  earth  will  seem  to  be  a  new  earth, 
and  the  sky  a  new  sky;  the  moan  and  the  lament 
will  die  away  to  be  replaced  with  the  shout  of 
triumph;  and  it  will  be  found  that  it  all 
happened  "According  to  Law." 

THE  END. 


University  of  California  Library 
Los  Angeles 

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